


Ground Fire

by Glaux_Bryonia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Reality, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2642711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glaux_Bryonia/pseuds/Glaux_Bryonia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dumbledore trusted the Dursleys but McGonagall didn't, so she tracked down some other non-magical relatives. More distant relatives, and seemingly friendlier. Funny how a bout of accidental magic can change the fate of a clan. Now the remaining Uchiha must hide their fire until they're ready to rise from the ashes. Which happens to be easier when you have a wizard in the family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To my great regret I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.
> 
> Japanese terms I leave in Japanese, as well as the names of the techniques. The latter because the English names always sound slightly ridiculous in my ears. Plus they’re often shorter in Japanese.
> 
> Japanese honorifics:  
> -san: this is the most common honorific, and is equivalent to Mr, Mrs, Miss, etc. It is the all-purpose honorific and can be used in any situation where politeness is required.
> 
> -sama: one level higher than –san, it is used to confer great respect.
> 
> -dono: comes from ‘tono’ which means ‘lord’. It is even higher level than –sama and confers utmost respect.
> 
> -kun: is used at the end of boys’ names to express familiarity or endearment. It is also sometimes used by men among friends, or when addressing someone younger or of lower station.
> 
> -chan: is used to express endearment, mostly towards girls. It is also used for little boys, pets, and even among lovers. It gives a sense of childish cuteness.
> 
> [blank] = often forgotten, but perhaps the most significant difference between Japanese and English. The lack of honorific means that the speaker has permission to address the person in a very intimate way. Usually, only family, spouses, or very close friends have this kind of permission. Known as yobisute, it can be gratifying when someone who has earned the intimacy starts to call one by one’s name without a honorific. But when the intimacy hasn’t been earned, it can also be very insulting. In this story it won’t play a big role, mostly because Harry will skip a lot between the Hidden Continent and England.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wondered how McGonagall could be so vehemently against leaving Harry with the Dursleys and yet do nothing. I can imagine her trying to find other suitable – preferably non-magical – relatives but not succeeding because the families are down to their last members or wouldn't be able to keep him hidden. In this AU however, quite a lot remain.  
> … For now.

 

Minerva McGonagall was seething. Mad enough hex someone. She’d been worried when Dumbledore left the last Potter at the Dursleys, so she’d stopped by for another round of observation in the morning. What she’d seen had sent her blood boiling.

How could Dumbledore be so _blind?_ She knew he liked to believe the best of people, but she had expected better from him. Was there really no alternative? No, she refused to accept that. Minerva understood the need for a non-magical family, but surely Lily had more blood relations than just that woman!

Lips pressed into a thin line, she marched down Diagon Alley to seek out one of her old students, ignoring the elated population celebrating Voldemort's demise. She was not in the mood for festivities. In her hand she clutched two small vials, one containing a few drops of blood, the other a couple of short black hairs.

In one of the narrow side streets she found the shop she was looking for. A small bell chimed pleasantly when she came in. Behind the counter a woman in her late twenties looked up and gasped with surprise. “Professor McGonagall! Dear me, what are you doing here?”

“Good afternoon to you too, Miss Ranonkle. I’m here for business, I’m afraid,” she replied, reigning in rage with stiff politeness. “Tell me, do you still research ancestries?”

“Ancestries? Why, yes. But why do you need-?“

“I’m afraid I don’t have time for lengthy explanations,” Minerva interrupted with some regret. Miss Ranonkle had been a very good student and deserved better than being treated like this. Alas, so had Lily and James. “This is of the uttermost importance and has to be kept secret. Do you have a place where we can speak in private?”

Bemused, Celestine Ranonkle nodded and led her old professor to a small back office. Sitting down behind the desk she asked, “So what are you looking for?”

Minerva didn’t reply until she’d made sure no one could listen in, casting a few powerful silencing charms on the door and windows just to be safe. Then she sat down too. “I’m terribly sorry for being so rude, Miss Ranonkle, but I have to demand an oath from you before I can answer that.” She gave a tired sigh. “Please, I wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t important.”

Celestine eyed the older woman for a long time, before giving a sigh herself. “You promise it won’t be harmful?”

Minerva smiled just the tiniest bit. “It’s just that this ancestry must remain secret at all costs. The one in danger of being harmed is the one who this is about.”

Celestine contemplated that for a short moment, before nodding. “Be my witness?”

“Naturally.” Minerva raised her wand, ready to make the oath binding.

The young woman took a deep breath and placed her hand over her heart. “I, Celestine Ranonkle, vow hereby to keep everything Minerva McGonagall and I discuss behind closed doors today, secret. May Magic be my Witness, and punish me if I break my Word.”

A single strand of light jumped from Minerva’s wand to wrap around the younger witch’s wrist. It glowed for a moment, before fading. Minerva sagged in her chair. “Thank you, Miss Ranonkle. I know I’m asking much.”

Celestine shrugged, before leaning forward, interested to find out what this was all about.

Minerva straightened in her chair and cleared her throat. “In the wake of the events on All Hallows Eve, Dumbledore had taken upon himself the task to ensure young Harry Potter’s safety.” She ignored a surprised gasp from the younger witch. “He found some relatives on Lily Evans’ side and placed him there under the protection of several powerful Blood Wards. The Wards remain in place as long as he can call the home of a relative his, or until he comes of age.”

“Wow. Of course I’d wondered what happened to him,” Celestine said, a bit dazed, “But Blood Wards… That’s ancient magic.” She shivered. “But if he got a home, why do you need my help?”

Minerva pressed her lips together, anger rearing its head once more. “Because those muggles are utterly unsuited to raise him.”

“Muggles?!” Celestine yelped. “He left him with _muggles?”_

Minerva gave her a disapproving look.

“I’m sorry,” Celestine said hastily. “I just didn’t expect- So you need me to see if there’s someone better suited?”

“Indeed,” Minerva said. “And it needs to be done quickly. I don’t trust those people not to harm him. They fear anything they do not perceive as normal.”

Celestine groaned. “Great. You know I need some stuff for this, right?”

Minerva nodded and placed the vials on the desk. “I’ve got here a bit of hair and blood. This ought to be enough, if I remember correctly.”

Celestine raised the small crystal containers to get a closer look. “Should be okay. Wait a moment, I should have everything I need. Ancestry is popular among the more curious muggleborns. It’s funny how often I discover they’re descendants of squibs. Explains a lot too.”

Minerva offered a small, indulgent smile as her old student chattered along while she gathered the ingredients.

A beautifully carved wooden bowl was placed on the desk. It’s inside was covered with a fascinating circling pattern Minerva knew symbolized all of creation. It was joined by a potion that looked like a night sky made liquid, shadows swirling like unseen creatures, obscuring the stars as they moved through. Four crimson candles, fine black dirt in a jar marked ‘Godric’s Hollow’, a big, rolled up sheet of fresh parchment tied closed with a white ribbon, and a deep red potion in a silver inkwell.

“Right, this ritual isn’t what you call difficult, but some of the components are hard to get by,” Celestine said professionally. Minerva nodded, eying the bowl with curiosity. Celestine pointed at it with pride. “This is made out of ash driftwood. Ash is said to be a part of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, which connects everything in this world with its branches. Driftwood, because only one who has been cast adrift, away from his relatives, would need this ritual. It unites the Seeker and Those Who Are Sought.”

She waved at the other components of the ritual. “Red candles, for the blood relation. Four, for the four points of the compass. Soil from his birth place, his roots. The _Praeter Lectionem_ , to reveal what time and distance have hidden. Fresh parchment and Blooming Ink to create the family tree.”

Minerva smiled at Celestine’s composed enthusiasm. “I’d ask how you knew his birth place, but in light of recent events that would be a foolish question.”

Celestine smiled. “Well, there are ways to complete the ritual without the soil, but those demand blood from the parents or get ridiculously complicated.”

Then Celestine set to work, diligently and precise. She grabbed a handful of the dark earth and started to create an intricate diagram on the desk with the bowl in the middle. It was tedious work, but soon she had it completed and placed the four candles on the edges facing the four directions. Carefully she poured in the two potions, which immediately formed layers like oil and water, with the Ink sinking to the bottom of the bowl.

Last she added Harry’s blood. The mix started to glow. The magic was invoked, whispering through the air in anticipation.

Then Celestine lighted the candles with her wand, starting with the East. “Great East, Rising Sun,” she chanted, “You who mark the Dawn of Day, I beg you to reach to the Dawn of this Family.” One of the hairs curled in the flame as she burned it. The mixture glowed a bit brighter.

“Gentle South, Embracing Haven. You who are warm as Summer’s Peak, I wish for you to trace every Birth.” Another hair burned.

“Grim North, Unforgiving Fortress. You who are cold as mourning, Winter’s Heart, I wish for you to trace every Death.”

Last she lighted the candle of the West, burning the fourth hair as her voice trembled on the edge of singing, “Mighty West, Setting Sun. You who mark the Evening, I beg you to find Those Who Still Exist In The Present.”

The light was so intense now, Minerva had to shield her eyes. She smiled with pride as her old student expertly completed the ritual, magic humming a vibrant crescendo. Celestine grabbed the parchment and stabbed one end into the bowl.

“Reveal to me this child’s Kin!”

With a final flash all candles were extinguished, silence falling like a striking hammer. The bowl was empty. The ribbon had turned red.

Carefully Celestine cleaned the desk, before unrolling the parchment. Both witches eagerly bowed themselves over the intricate family tree. With great care they traced thin, blood red lines of decent. The Dursleys were quickly found and disregarded. Then Celestine whooped with joy.

“Found it! Here’s a living branch!” Eagerly they traced the fine lines to another enormous spider web of relations.

Minerva was a bit surprised to see the connection existed through just a single person. But this person had been the husband of the only child of the Potters. Their daughter, Harry’s great-grandmother, to be exact. Normally that would have meant the end of the Potter name, but apparently this man had preferred to take his wife’s name.

And this man had had siblings, whose descendants still lived today. It made their claim very strong. Better yet, there was a good chance the Blood Wards would take. She carefully wrote down the name.

 _Jin U-chi-ha._ The scratching of her quill was very calming.

A foreign name, and a big family with several dozen living members. There was no way they wouldn’t be able to find a better home for Harry. She sighed in relief. Carefully she wrote down the names. _Fugaku. Haruka. Midori. Kaien-_ At ten she stopped. Among those there had to be at least one person who could be trusted to take decent care of an orphaned baby. Some of those already had families of their own, others seemed to be old enough to take such responsibility upon them. All were direct descendants of Jin’s siblings.

For the first time in forty-eight hours she felt confident things would be alright. She smiled at her list.

Celestine was eying the family tree. “Maybe we should burn this,” she said thoughtfully. “Can’t have someone figure out where he is.”

“I’d agree,” Minerva said, “Were it not I might need it to convince the Uchiha's to take him in. I’ll destroy it afterwards.”

Celestine nodded and rolled it up, carefully retying the ribbon. “Here you go then, Professor.”

Minerva accepted the document. “How much do I owe you?”

Celestine shook her head. “What happened to Harry Potter was terrible, but it saved us all. This is the least I could do.” She smiled. “Just make sure he’ll be alright.”

Minerva nodded, touched by the gesture. Proud how well her student had turned out.

“Thank you, Miss Ranonkle.” She turned to leave.

“Oh, Professor?” Minerva paused to give Celestine a curious look. Celestine gave her an apologetic grin. “Could you please let me know when you succeed?”

Minerva smiled tiredly. “I think I can do that.”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Minerva shivered in her cloak, careful not to trip over any roots in the dark. The Forbidden Forest wasn’t a hospitable place, especially at night. She had slept a few hours, but then the need to ensure little Harry’s safety had demanded she’d no longer dawdle. Which was good, for already the first bruises had marred the baby’s arm. Had Lily and James been still alive they would have murdered Albus for even _considering_ those people. He was lucky her own temper had mellowed with age.

Gingerly she shifted the slumbering bundle in her arms. The eagerness with which the Dursleys had handed him over disgusted her. Dumbledore could go sit on a mountain and freeze, she’d do what was _right._

So now she was stumbling through the forest, a bag with the necessary documents over her shoulder, also containing some food and hot drinks. It saddened her there hadn’t been any toys she could pack for the child. The fire had destroyed everything.

Making sure little Harry was comfortable, she raised her wand to levitate a big piece of raw meat a little higher. She should be far enough now- Ah. Gleaming white eyes emerged from the shadows, fixed on the meat. She wasn’t overly fond of Thestrals, but no one could deny they were useful creatures. As good as postal owls, and capable of carrying far heavier loads.

She gave the bony creature some time to enjoy it’s meal, before throwing a thick tartan cloak over its back and climbing on. With some well aimed Sticking Charms she ensured she wouldn’t fall off. She was a bit too old to depend solely on muscle power. The Thestral gave her a curious look, munching on the remains of what had been enough pork to feed ten people.

“I need to find Fugaku Uchiha,” she told the beast. Fugaku, first great-grandson of Jin’s older brother. His claim would be the strongest. She prayed he would prove willing. Such a big family, who knew where they all lived? She didn’t feel like flying the whole night.

The Thestral didn’t give a sign it understood but dutifully launched itself into the air, gaining altitude with every beat of its massive wings. Minerva clutched Harry tightly to her chest, despite the Sticking Charms ensuring he wouldn’t fall. She carefully avoided looking straight down and ignored the lack of control she had over her mount.

This was why she didn’t like Thestrals.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

As it turned out, Fugaku Uchiha lived very, _very_ far away. Foreign name, yes, but she hadn’t expected him to live outside Europe! Seldom had Minerva been more grateful for her magic. Little Harry and she would have arrived as icicles otherwise. Luckily the Thestral didn’t seem to mind the cold. Or the distance. Which was a relief all on its own. The trip would have taken days otherwise.

She smiled painfully. Young Severus would make some very scathing comments right now about Gryffindors jumping head first into the unknown. He might even be right this time.

In her arms, little Harry stirred beneath the sleeping spell she’d cast on him, reminding her once again why she was doing this. She sighed. She’d come too far to return now anyway.

Finally, when the morning sun had already crawled from behind the horizon in a flood of eye-watering brightness, she could feel a shift in the Thestral's flight. A descend. Very mild, they wouldn't be landing for some time, but the mere fact that the animal was gliding to lower altitudes was a very welcome sign. Stiff and aching, she shifted her grip on her slumbering cargo. She didn't see any land yet, but then again, she didn't see much of anything with the sun right in front of her and the haze of early morning hiding the world beneath her from view.

There was no trace of the barrier until they went through it.

Suddenly surrounded by hissing mist, Minerva let out an uncharacteristic sound of surprise. A strange energy crackled against her skin, trying to ward her out, but the Thestral flew on, unperturbed, carrying her along.

Just as abruptly as it had appeared it was gone, making the professor wonder if she'd imagined it. She'd barely slept after all. Then, all thoughts of the odd incident flew out of her head. She gasped. Beneath her, out of nowhere, stretched an unknown country. Mountains and forests covered the surface, and in the distance she could see what appeared to be a rocky plain.

 _What on Earth-?_ But she wasn't a witch for nothing. Hidden area's were quite common in the magical community. Though area's hidden from magical people was significantly more unusual. She'd never heard from something that came close to resembling the size of this place. Even dragon reserves weren't this big. And dragons needed a _lot_ of space.

She shook it off. She'd do some research later. For now she had a man to find.

With the mountains beneath her and the morning sun shining brightly she could keep better track of how fast they were flying. Which came down to _very fast,_ despite the time they'd be on the wing already _._ Unfortunately, the Thestral didn't seem inclined to descend any further, which meant there was probably still quite some distance to cover. She sighed.

Eventually, rocky mountains made way for lush forests, green broken only by lighter colored plains and reddish-brown rocks, glints of silver between the foliage betraying the presence of the many rivers criss-crossing the land. Lakes reflected the pale blue sky, tiny dark specks that were probably boats making their way over the surface. Every time they passed a city Minerva's heart sprung with hope, but the her dark-winged steed continued to fly.

She was almost dozing – the warm sunlight made her drowsy – when suddenly everything dipped forward and down, the world rising to meet them. She bit back a startled yelp, instead clinging tightly to animal and child, eyes again wide and awake, immediately noticing the village in front of them.

 _Finally!_ People were probably missing her at Hogwarts right now. And if not yet then they would soon.

 _But first I need to handle this._ Priorities. Hogwarts could handle her absence.

Despite the early hour there was a lot of activity on the streets. Not wishing to make a grand entrance she renewed the Notice-Me-Not and Disillusionment Charms on her and her companions. She was here for business, not to startle people out of their skins. Tired as she was, she _really_ didn't need the hassle.

Mere minutes before touchdown she remembered to cast the Translation spell she'd looked up for this occasion. A flick of her wand at one of the unsuspecting people beneath her and a tap against her head fixed any language problem she might face, the spell ensuring the dominant language of her unknowing victim would roll off her tongue as easily it would off his.

They landed on a paved path in the midst of a serene garden in front of what had to be the front door, even if the design was unlike any she has seen before. She took a moment to brace herself for the upcoming conversation, as the loss of James and Lily was still a raw wound on her heart.

Minerva dispelled the charms just as a man with black hair and even darker eyes slid a big window-like panel to the side and stepped out. There were odd lines near the corners of his mouth, giving him a sombre appearance despite his expression being neutral.

She frowned. There's something decidedly odd about the way the man first looked at her and then at the child in her arms that had to be little more than a shapeless bundle of cloth from were he was standing. His eyes even strayed to the Thestral behind her, without any of the disgust or apprehension she was used to see on people.

Just before sudden oblivion dragged her under Minerva realized what was off.

He wasn't surprised.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Fugaku looked at the elderly intruder and at the foreign creature she had arrived with. Pale, seemingly sightless eyes stared back at him with detached disinterest, not the smallest sign of unrest at it's mistress' sudden departure from the world of the conscious. Though that was just his genjutsu at work. No need to risk having a rampaging Summon on their hands. Absentmindedly he shifted the warm bundle in his arms to a more comfortable position, the infantile chakra signature inside like a downy feather drifting on a barely-there wind, still deeply submerged in the land of dreams.

A child. The woman had been carrying a child. Now that was a puzzle.

“ANBU-san,” he called to the shadow behind him, “Would you mind informing the Hokage that the situation seems to be contained?”

The ANBU that had barged in through his window in the wake of a quietly frantic message that something uninvited had passed the village's perimeters, nodded politely.

“Seems your illusions did the trick, Uchiha-san,” observed one of the Interception Division members, the ones who had delivered said message. “Got to be the weirdest invasion ever. Weird Summon too. Definitely not what I expected when the Detection Division started yelling.”

Not what _any_ of them had been expecting, especially when their uninvited guest had headed straight for Clan grounds. He'd been ready to slash the intruder into tiny bits when he received the news. Everyone was still on edge, even though the Third War had been over for almost three months now. When it came to his Clan he wasn't taking any chances.

_Time to dig out some answers._

It was quite fortunate so many Uchiha worked for the Police Force. So much easier to arrest someone.

Soon they had the lady all tied up and ready for questioning. The Interception Division members had returned to their posts, leaving the case the Police Force's responsibility. Fugaku observed the woman, waiting for her to recover from his illusion. For now her lack of weaponry spoke in her favor, though they had found an odd polished stick on her person. That had been slightly alarming. Naturally he had prepared for unknown jutsu and had two of his clansmen standing by. Uchiha were the best for these kind of situations, and Yashiro and Haruka were some of his most levelheaded officers. The child had been left in his cousin Suzume's capable hands. For now they would assume their invader hadn't turned the baby into a trap. A revolting possibility, but a real one nonetheless.

After a few minutes the woman stirred. Blinked groggily, giving the room a confused once-over. Shook her head and tried to move.

Fugaku raised a mental brow. Another anomaly. A shinobi would have immediately noticed the restrains.

“What-? What's going on?” She frantically looked around and finally noticed him. “Who are you?”

 _Slow responses, little alertness and clearly no idea what happened._ Her behavior was almost civilian.

Fugaku paused and considered that thought. She had a Summon but no recognizable weapons. Barely any muscles yet a strong chakra signature, the feel of it completely foreign. Very little situational awareness. Unless she had some unusual techniques she couldn't be a shinobi or she wouldn't be this old. Civilian with a Kekkei Genkai?

“That's what I'd like to know,” Fugaku answered.

She drew herself up as well as she could, given she was tied to a chair. Gathered stern dignity around her like a cloak and said, “I came here with a child. Where is he?”

“The child is being cared for. Who are you and why are you here?”

Something like relief flickered over her face and she calmed noticeably. “I am Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts, Scotland. I came here to find his family. His parents were murdered and there is no one suitable where I come from.”

He raised his brow for real this time. “You have a name?”

She nodded, stiffly regal despite the exhaustion that visibly dragged at her alertness. A small part of him wondered exactly how far away this Hogwarts was. “I'm looking for the Uchiha's. Fugaku Uchiha in particular. I understood he could be found here.”

Inwardly Fugaku frowned at the odd ordering of names. Self before Clan. Either foreign customs or a very odd insult. For a moment he pondered the wisdom of revealing himself but then reminded himself why she was here. One of his Clan. If she spoke the truth, that is.

“I am Uchiha Fugaku. Do you have proof?”

She nodded, hope and relief almost chasing the wariness off her face. Expressive. If she was an actor she was a damn good one. “In my luggage should be a roll of parchment. I had someone... do some research to get the names.”

Not a lie but not the truth either. No matter, he would find out.

Still looking at the professor he called, “Haruka-san.”

“On it.” Professional as always. Fugaku had to wait only a few moments before the other Uchiha returned with the item. Haruka handed it over without a word and resumed his position just out of their invader's sight. Fugaku put on a pair of gloves before he unrolled it. No need to take any risks.

Parchment. _Real_ parchment. The anomalies were piling up. Maybe it was something traditional?

Then he saw the spiderweb of thin red lines, connecting what could very well be names written in a foreign language. He'd seen similar symbols once in the Decoding Division's library, when he was younger and recovering from a rather painful leg wound and bored out of his wits. If he remembered correctly he'd copied a slew of dictionaries and phonetic alphabet translations with his Sharingan and had worked though some decoding exercises before taking a crack at the most recent brain-breaker. A good mental exercise when a physical one hadn't been allowed.

It took some digging – those memories were _not_ recent and not that much used either – but then everything resurfaced with the clear, razor sharp quality of Sharingan-made memories. Frowning slightly, he compared mental with visual images, sounded the words out in his head, and discarded all dictionaries. Names. And the simple symbols carried no meaning beyond sound.

Going more slowly, he repeated the words letter for letter in his head. Many names were as foreign as the language they were written in, but then he got to the place were recognition reared its head after being prodded a bit. Huh. Seemed to be correct. The lady had good informants.

He made a mental note to deal with that problem later.

“What's the child's name?”

“Harry Potter.”

He made a sound when he finally found the little tyke near the bottom of the page. Retraced red lines once more.

Well, it wasn't perfect, but he'd be damned if he risked abandoning one of his Clan to foreign hands just because he couldn't be sure he had a fabrication on his hands. At least the child was too young to be a spy. He'd have him checked for any potentially hostile jutsu later.

“I see. If returning him to us was all you came here to do, consider your task fulfilled.” Dark eyes blazed in warning, and he saw her blanch just the tiniest bit.

She shifted, evidently hesitating, before straightening her spine and looking him straight in the eye. Huh, the lady had guts. Not many would face such a clear threat head on. “There is more,” she declared. “As you agree to take him into your home it is only fair to warn you. Harry's parents had a special... ability, so to say, and there has been evidence Harry has it too.”

Fugaku raised a brow. Parents. _Plural_. But only the father was related to the Uchiha, if the evidence could be believed. _Not_ the Sharingan then. Another Kekkei Genkai?

McGonagall drew a fortifying breath. “The Potters are an old magical family. From what Albus told me, Harry has performed his first accidental magic already. Albus Dumbledore is- was a friend of the family. He visited them once or twice in the final year.” The last words sounded as if she was biting back tears.

For a moment Fugaku didn't move, unwilling to believe her claim. _Magic._ Impossible. He studied her face, taking in the grim tension of her mouth and the earnest light in her eyes, silently demanding he would believe her. Fugaku wanted to refuse, but then again, _civilian._ Some Kekkei Genkai abilities might be considered magical by them.

“And what does this 'magic' entail?” Fugaku asked, very carefully watching for that spark of triumph that was so hard to suppress when one was falling for your deceit.

Nothing, only genuine relief. Genuine, or a very good act.

“I can show you,” she answered, “I have the same ability. If you could untie me?”

Fugaku's eyes narrowed. “Alright,” he said slowly, bumping his foot against the table seemingly by accident, signaling to his men to be ready for anything. The silence outside shifted to something sharper.

“And I need my wand,” McGonagall said, appearing completely oblivious to the by-play as he released the ropes with a small flick of his kunai.

Wand? Ah. So they'd been right, the odd polished stick was used for a jutsu. Silently he handed the item over, barely able to keep his surprise in check when he felt her foreign chakra respond to the wand's presence.

Then she gestured with the piece of wood and _the table turned into a pig_. Complete with matching sounds and smell.

_What the-?_

Fugaku stared for a long moment, composure rattled and suddenly very, _very_ wary. He knew illusions. This wasn't one. And if she could do the same with people...

Then she gestured again and the table returned as if nothing had happened.

“A transformative ability?” Fugaku inquired calmly, pretending he wasn't one wrong twitch away from drawing a kunai and skewering her.

A tight smile was his answer, not viciously triumphant like one having successfully lured another into a trap, but surprised and honestly pleased with his reaction. “Not exactly,” McGonagall corrected. “Transfiguration is only a small part of magic. Other fields include Charms, Potions, and a wide variety of offensive and defensive curses and hexes, commonly referred to as Defense against the Dark Arts.”

Fugaku eyed her, carefully weighing threat against information. “Explain.”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Several hours, two guard shifts, and a burned (but Sharingan-memorized) family tree later Fugaku had a very late lunch brought in, earning him a grateful look from their magical visitor. While Fugaku consumed his noodles, his mind was racing with possibilities. He had thoroughly interrogated McGonagall – self proclaimed witch and teacher at Hogwarts, which was apparently a school for those with her ability – and had demanded several more demonstrations, each exceeding his expectations. Apparently magic was less like a Kekkei Genkai and more like the ability to use chakra in general. If little Harry truly possessed the same talent then Fugaku might have a potential triumph card comparable to the Third Hokage on his hands. Even more so if the child would also turn out to be true to the Uchiha bloodline.

And the old lady was willing to just hand him over. Inwardly he was shaking his head at her naivety. _Definitely_ a civilian. Though supposedly it had also to do with strong Blood Wards that were tied to the child and the followers of an S-class criminal wizard being out for his blood. The Clan Head scoffed in the privacy of his own mind. He wouldn't stand for a bunch of fanatical morons threatening one of his. If they showed up here they would die, plain and simple.

Suzume had already confirmed the presence of a powerful, foreign jutsu clinging to the boy. If what McGonagall had said was true then it would invoke a protective barrier once Fugaku had accepted his cousin into his home to ward out anything magical out to cause his cousin harm. Fugaku didn't mind as long as it wouldn't interfere with other jutsu or their duty as shinobi.

So. Now Harry was here he belonged to the Uchiha. And to ensure such a promising member of his Clan would be well cared for and his talents carefully cultivated, he would become one of Fugaku's own. Itachi would like a little brother and Mikoto would love a new little one. Itachi was so independent already.

Inwardly he smiled. On the outside Fugaku was still as chillingly professional as at the beginning of this whole mess. It seemed that the witch found that disconcerting. Fugaku couldn't bring himself to care. Civilians had such delicate feelings.

“You said he'll receive an invitation once he turns eleven?”

McGonagall dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin and nodded. “Yes, his parents had him signed up directly after he was born. I'm confident he'll make a great wizard.”

 _Taught in a school headed by an old man who has already made a critical mistake regarding his wellbeing_ , Fugaku thought. He would make sure the boy would be able to defend himself when the time came. 'Dangerous are those with good intentions', as the old saying went. Though he wasn't sure the old wizard's intentions were as benign as McGonagall sketched them. Fugaku was quite sure the lady's were, but look where they landed her. About to hand over the savior of her world (which sounded ridiculous and quite suspicious in his opinion; he refused to believe that an S-class wizard had been taken out because of a 'miracle') to people she didn't know, acting as if blood and first impressions alone were enough proof Harry would be well cared for. Had her encounter with the Dursleys taught her nothing?

But he wouldn't mention any of that now. She wasn't entirely wrong. He _would_ make sure Harry would be safe, though not the way she likely expected. Best to let her leave with the belief he would mindlessly bend to their plans for Harry's future and shape the child into someone capable of derailing those plans when called for.

A knock on the door frame made his guest visibly startle. “Fugaku-sama, Mikoto-san has arrived.”

“Tell her we're coming. We'll meet in meeting room three.”

Fugaku caught the confused look in McGonagall's eye. “Mikoto is my wife,” he told her gruffly. Once his decision had been made he hadn't wasted time asking for her to come pick up their newest family member.

The witch nodded in comprehension.

A few moments later they arrived with Suzume in tow, his twenty-year old niece still carrying his new cousin. The boy was still sleeping. Fugaku took the opportunity to take a closer look, immediately noting the scar on his forehead. So that was all that remained of a supposedly lethal curse. It wasn't that bad, as far as scars went. The shape was unusual, but its position would make it easy to hide should Harry choose to do so when he was older.

Quiet footsteps down the hall alerted him of his wife's arrival. Mikoto entered, pausing only to sweep her eyes through the room. An expression of gentle inquiry decorated her face, belying the barely noticeable tension of her shoulders.

Inwardly, Fugaku smiled. Once a shinobi, always a shinobi. He raised a brow, wordlessly asking about their son she’d been watching.

She smiled. “So what was so important you interrupted my talk with Midori?”

Ah, so he was at Midori’s. Good. Under the watchful eye of another ANBU-turned-housewife, Itachi and his cousin could play as much as they wanted. Back to matters at hand then.

Fugaku gestured to McGonagall, who had taken the opportunity to sit down again and who’s lack of sleep was painfully obvious to their trained eyes. “This lady came here to return one of our Clan to us.” _We already verified,_ his eyes told her.

He took the sleeping child from Suzume and handed the bundle to his wife. She took it with a look of wonder. “Meet Potter Harry, it seems he and I are third cousins.”

Gently Mikoto stroked the sleeping face, careful not to show any reaction to the scar, already deducing something had happened to Harry’s parents because otherwise the older woman wouldn’t have brought him to the Clan. She shot Fugaku a questioning glance.

 _Later,_ his eyes promised her.

“Well, he looks like he could use a more comfortable place to sleep. I’m sure Midori would like to meet him too.” Mikoto bowed. “If you’ll excuse me?”

With a kiss to her husband’s cheek she left, mindful to keep her movements smooth and soothing as she cradled the newest Uchiha in her arms. A look from Fugaku prompted one of the officers to accompany her back to the compound, earning himself a fondly exasperated look. Fugaku refrained from rolling his eyes. Despite her mild manners, his wife was still a strong warrior, who did not appreciate having her skills questioned, no matter how indirect. Fugaku almost smirked.

A sniff from beside him distracted him, and he almost raised his eyebrows when he saw the mournful sadness upon McGonagall's face. Hmm, seemed she was more attached to his cousin than she'd let on. Looked like Albus Dumbledore hadn't been the only friend of the family then.

He gave a mental snort. Well, that was a given. If he would ever have to choose which one to go to, he knew who he'd pick. It hadn't been Albus Dumbledore who had made the considerable effort to track down Harry's clan, and it hadn't been Albus Dumbledore who had delivered him were he belonged instead of leaving him in an ill-suited home. Today McGonagall had proven her loyalty to Harry's parents, honoring an obviously valued friendship and doing the Uchiha a great favor. Fugaku would not forget that.

Part of that debt he'd repay now, allowing her to leave with minimal fuss. Normally she would have faced imprisonment for trespassing into Konoha uninvited and without regard for regulations, especially because though little Harry had needed his Clan, it hadn't been an actual emergency. But Fugaku had seen enough of her to know that her prime concern had been getting Harry to a safe home; he would be able to bring enough arguments to the table to satisfy the Hokage.

“Well then,” McGonagall said, gathering herself, “I should take my leave.” A small, rueful smile. “They will have noticed my absence by now, and there is still a lot of work to do even though the war is over.”

Fugaku could relate to that. Their own war had barely ended as well. “I'll show you out.”

A few minutes later he was carefully watching her Summon's process through the sky, having to focus to keep her odd jutsu from distracting him. A familiar presence came to stand beside him, having arrived without a sound and just as carefully attentive to their disappearing guest.

“A very odd visit.”

Fugaku nodded, acknowledging the unvoiced question. “You could say that. But her intentions were good. She didn't know where she'd landed, or even in what for place. To her, arriving like she did was merely a bit unusual, not something to warrant an attack, let alone a lethal one. And she has given her word she would keep the details of his whereabouts secret, even from her boss, at least until his eleventh birthday.” He smirked. “Apparently she is quite cross with that Dumbledore.”

“I see.” Minato smiled at him. “Well, I guess that is one crisis averted then.” A sunny grin. “Now where is your baby cousin? I do expect to be introduced of course.”

Fugaku barely refrained from rolling his eyes at his superior. “As if you don't know already.”

Minato hummed. “Well, it's considered polite to ask...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word list:  
> Ground fire: fire that consumes the organic material beneath the surface litter ground, such as peat fire. Mean, nasty, hidden fire, that is often untraceable above ground. That is, until it suddenly surfaces and gobbles up several hundred hectares of forest. Tricky stuff. Can burn for years.
> 
> Praeter Lectionem: lit. ‘past reading’.
> 
> Jutsu: art/technique/skill; both singular and plural, as most Japanese nouns do not change form as they do in English. Most nouns (with the exception of nouns referring to people) have no plural form. For example: 'cat' and 'cats' are both the same word neko. Or, in this case, jutsu is used for both one and several techniques.
> 
> Genjutsu: lit. 'illusionary techniques'. Includes various techniques to attack the mind (as opposed to ninjutsu, which attack the body). Uchiha are generally quite adept at using them.
> 
> Kekkei Genkai: lit. 'a technique limited to inheritance by blood' or 'Bloodline Limit'. Basically abilities that are passed down genetically within specific clans. It's possible for a shinobi to have more than one of these abilities. 
> 
> Author's notes/rambling:  
> I've always been of the opinion that Thestrals are depressingly under appreciated. My reasoning:  
> Thestrals fly pretty damn fast judging from the description and the fact that Harry and co. didn’t get tired enough to fall off in their trip from Hogwarts to London in book 5. And from the description Thestrals aren’t the easiest rides when it comes to staying seated in mid-flight. Not to mention the student's muscles weren't used to what was demanded of them for that (had to clench tightly to avoid being ripped off by the slipstream) and hadn't started seriously cramping yet (they recovered fast from the flight), so the ride was something between the 5 to 20 (30 at absolute most) minutes. Add to that the fact that the Hogwarts Express needs about 7 hours (11 o'clock in the morning till what I estimate to be 6 o'clock in the evening) to travel the same distance in what I'm assuming a straight line at, say 125 km per hour (max speed for passenger trains pulled by the Russian B-series steam locomotive around 1910), without stops. That's about 875 km, give or take, covered in more or less 15 minutes. That is circa 3500 km per hour ( and magic is definitely being the excuse for that particular impossibility).  
> Lets say for convenience sake that the Hidden Continent (aka, the Naruto world) is very closely located to Japan, with Japan being an island just out of the coast (ignore the geographical impossibilities, okay?). Would explain the similarities between the cultures. From Tokyo to London is about 9577 km. Now, assuming Thestrals fly slower over large distances, say 1750 km per hour (based on difference between jogging and sprinting speed of humans), that takes about five and a half hours (both the Hidden Continent and Hogwarts are a bit further, so say the McGonagall's trip takes six to six and a half hours).  
> Which is less than half of the time it takes by plane (roughly 11,5 to 17 hours depending on where you're going; direct flight).  
> Is that awesome or is that awesome?
> 
> I know there is no mention of Thestrals having the same skills as postal owls for finding someone, but as there are more comfortable means to get from Hogwarts to the Ministry I find it very weird that six random Thestrals can find it down to the exact location of the visitor's entrance (as seen in The Order of the Phoenix). Okay, maybe one of them had been there before and lead the others. Which is still unlikely as the Ministry is doing it's damn hardest to keep them away from the muggles, so landing one in front of the visitor's entrance probably wouldn't go over well. Then again, no one claimed wizards were rational. 
> 
> Yes, Fugaku and Harry are third cousins. I decided that when comparing the average lifespan of shinobi and wizards, and the years between generations. James and Lily might have been young (close to shinobi standards, with parenthood occurring somewhere between twenty and thirty), but Charles and Dorea Potter were supposed to be quite old for children (around forty?). With the high turnover rate of shinobi, I think it is not unlikely that you get four wizard generations for every five shinobi generations.
> 
> And to give credit where credit is due: the ritual was inspired by The Goblet of Fire.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review, I enjoy reading them very much.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you are happy with the fast update, but don't get your hopes up. This chapter I had already mostly written out before I was halfway chapter one. The next, unfortunately, I've barely even started on. 
> 
> Enjoy!

 

“Yo, cousin, you're in?” Shisui called, pausing to blink at the various oddly colored objects lying around, the center of the small disaster zone that had been the house's main living area being his second-youngest cousin, Harry. Shisui had actually come for Itachi, but curiosity got the better of him. “Hey Harry, what're you doing?”

The three year old giggled at him, holding up a toy kunai. Shisui's eyebrows rose as the previously blue kunai turned red. It was a blotchy red, with leftover splashes of purplish shades, but it was definitely Harry's accidental magic. “Hoh, practicing again, huh? You remember what Mikoto-oba-sama said last time you did that?”

Harry frowned at him. Cocked his head in thought. Frowned again. “Okaa-chan sayed no.”

“That's right,” Shisui agreed. “She doesn't like it when you dye everything.”

“Didn't dye everything!” Harry protested. “Only my weapons.”

Shisui looked around. One of his aunt's Ikebana works had acquired an interesting pattern of oranges and neon greens that clashed horribly with the original purple flowers. The table and tatami mats looked like someone dropped a bucket of paint on them, or rather, _several_ buckets. And the cupboards looked like they'd been on the receiving end of a maniac with a grudge against normal color combinations. “... Just your weapons, huh? I know some shinobi got really weird weaponry, but you take the cake, little cousin.”

“Cake?” Harry asked hopefully.

“No cake,” Shisui corrected, grinning at Harry's crestfallen face. Only last year had Shisui been told about the Clan's A-class secret that was Harry's unusual ability, though for now it had only manifested as a sneaky version of paint bombs and some minor levitation. Since then he'd gotten the task to help Harry practice whenever he could, just like every other Uchiha old enough to know how to keep their mouths shut.

Because of his ability Harry had never left the Uchiha compound, which fortunately was quite big, and he wouldn't until he was old enough to understand no one but family was allowed to know about it. One day his ability would be a major ace up their sleeve, and the less people knew about it the better. If only for his little cousin's safety, because with his potential he was a very tempting target for anyone wishing to have his talent at their command. At three years old he was still very easy to mould.

The mere thought of some bastard laying his hands on his baby cousins always managed to tick Shisui off, and by now he had a whole slew of creative punishments thought out in case someone would try. Compared to Harry, Sasuke might be 'just' an Uchiha, but Uchiha were _always_ targets. Itachi had helped, wearing a mean little smile that was way too scary for a seven years olds face. No one would touch Itachi's little brothers – even if one had been adopted – and get away with it.

Shisui had already finished his time at the Academy – he graduated early – and had heard many lectures over the course of the years about the dangers of having a Kekkei Genkai. Harry's ability might be impossible to steal, but that didn't mean certain kinds of people would not be interested. Emotional manipulation, brainwashing- his little cousin had a long way to go before he'd be safe. At least everyone who lived in the compound would rather commit suicide than let one of their own befall such a fate. Uchiha took care of each other.

“Shisui-kun?”

His Aunt Mikoto poked her head around the door giving him a welcoming smile that made Shisui feel warm inside. She had welcomed him readily after Shisui's own mother had been killed during the Kyuubi attack almost two years ago, and Shisui – too young to be on his own but old enough to grieve, his father dead for as long as he could remember – had let her drag him off to her home where Itachi had hugged him within an inch of his life to comfort him, and Harry had rather adorably copied him. Shisui loved his little cousins, as they never failed to cheer him up. Even in the midst of mourning they had soothed some of the aching emptiness left behind by his mother, and nowadays he lived more at the Clan Head's house than in the too empty home of his parents.

When he was told about the Blood Wards surrounding the compound a year later Shisui had thought – spitefully, hatefully – that they had failed, as the Kyuubi had still rained destruction down upon the village in his rage. What use where they if they didn't even work? Later, when he had gotten past the initial wave of old grief, he realized that maybe they _had_ worked. After all, the Kyuubi had remained on the other side of the village, never venturing near the Uchiha compound. Because of that he was alive, and his cousins were alive, and if he was absolutely honest, he wouldn't wish it differently. His grief would have been nothing compared to Aunt Mikoto's if she had lost her three children, and his mother wouldn't have wanted it either. Shisui still had the rest of the Clan, and Aunt Mikoto had become his surrogate-mother in all but name. For him it was enough.

And to be honest, the way his cousins had adopted him as their sort-of-older-brother was just cute, and gratifying as well. He'd found he liked playing big brother.

“Ah, there you are, I thought I heard you. Itachi is upstairs...,” his aunt trailed off as she got a good look at the room, and sighed. “Harry?”

Shisui chuckled as his little cousin tried to squirm out of his grip. “Sorry, Harry-chan, I'm afraid you're busted.”

“Shi, lemme go!” Harry squealed, obviously not wanting to face his adopted mother's ire.

“Uchiha Harry, what have I told you about using your ability?”

Shisui left a guiltily squirming Harry to Aunt Mikoto's stern scolding, unable to keep in a snicker at the trouble his little cousin had gotten himself into. With Harry occupied for the time being he could do what he came here for, and poke Itachi into joining him for a spar. His eldest little cousin was quite a good partner and a prodigy to boot, evening out the three years and differences in ability between them to acceptable levels. Uncle Fugaku was expecting him to graduate after just a year in the Academy, so in Shisui's opinion Itachi's homework could wait.

He grinned. Itachi wouldn't agree, but that was half the fun.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

“Come on, Harry-kun, concentrate,” Haruka said, patient as a snow-topped mountain. He was sitting cross-legged before of his younger cousin, whom had been trying to consciously levitate the heavy book lying between them for more than an hour now. “You said it 'just _happened_ ', so don't think about actively moving the book. Just put it somewhere else, without using your hands.”

The four year old scowled, frustrated, and then forced himself to relax and guide his magic without actually thinking of guiding it. The book shivered, the corners trembly lifting from the ground, before Harry's hold slipped for the umpteenth time that day.

 _If he puts anymore force in that glare,_ Haruka thought coolly amused, _he might just accidentally set it on fire._ Which Haruka wouldn't mind in the slightest. Spontaneous ignition would make for a very useful ability once Harry would get it under control, and it would be quite fitting for an Uchiha. The fan wasn't the Clan's symbol for nothing.

And until Harry would learn to control it... they were _Uchiha._ Playing with fire was in their _blood._ Their elemental specialty being Katon was no accident. Consequently, the Clan had long ago learned how to handle stray flames. Not only was nearly everything within the compound fireproofed in one way or another, _everyone_ knew how to put fires out. With blankets. With sand. With stomping on it until you felt your leg was about to fall off. And if all else failed, with explosions and some of the less destructive Suiton.

It was interesting to see if he could push Harry into roasting the book. Not to mention entertaining.

“Again, Harry-kun,” Haruka intoned calmly.

They managed three more attempts before Harry's temper almost audibly snapped.

“ _Stupid,_ stupid _book, move it, damn you-!”_

Aaand, _whoosh._ Haruka stifled a self-satisfied grin. There had been a good reason why he had insisted on practicing on the sand beds of the rock garden, despite how it would disturb the raked patterns. He took in the merry little bonfire the book had been reduced to, and the deer-in-the-headlights look on his young cousin's face.

“That was not what I told you to do.”

Harry flinched and looked suitably chastised. To soften the reprimand Haruka gave him an encouraging smile. “But well done. We'll be practicing that from now on too.”

For some reason, this did not seem to encourage his cousin. Oh, well. Haruka couldn't bring himself to care.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

“Alright, my pesky little cousins! Today you're gonna learn about some of the most endearingly dangerous critters there are in our forests! Pay attention so I won't have to set you on fire for punishment.” Kaien grinned at them, arms folded over his chest as he sat cross-legged between several boxes of varying sizes. Mikoto hid a chuckle at the blank faces he received from her youngest children. Itachi's lips were twitching.

“... Okaa-san, is he serious?” Harry asked, giving his older cousin a dubious look. At least Kaien's older brother Haruka had fit the image of a teacher. Kaien was a bit too... enthusiastic. He acted way to much like a little kid for a twenty-two year old. It made Harry wonder how Kaien was ever given the rank of Jounin.

“Oi!”

Mikoto smiled at the indignant shout. “It's your own fault Kaien.”

“He is. But he is also an expert,” Itachi said, quietly amused by his brothers' lack of trust in their overly energetic cousin.

“What are you doing here anyway, Nii-san? You know all this already. You're already a _Chunin,_ ” Harry said, trying to raise a brow at Itachi. He was too young to make the action anything but endearing. The five year old pouted at his brother when Itachi couldn't suppress a smile.

Kaien sniggered. “True, but it is good to review sometimes. Memory isn't perfect.”

“Even with the Sharingan?” Sasuke pipped slyly. Or what passed for sly when you were four.

Itachi nodded. “Even with the Sharingan.”

The older Uchiha cousins laughed at the scandalized looks from the youngest two.

Mikoto smiled as she put a comforting hand on their shoulders. “It's true that the Sharingan memorizes everything flawlessly, but it is like a library. Copying is just the first step to gaining a new technique. You need to remember the things you have before you can use them.”

Kaien nodded, grinning. “Yup! One way to to remember is meditation. You sit down and pick up every copy in your library so to speak. Practicing doesn't hurt either, especially when you want to master them. Another way is making a list, copy it with the Sharingan, and then burning it, but it's more tedious. Plus you need writing tools. And people might read it.”

He clapped his hands. “So! Our darling little prodigy will be sharing this lesson with you. Any questions? No? O-kay then!”

Kaien then launched into an extraordinary and completely over-the-top tale about the wonders of Konoha's forests. He made them sound more like something out of a fantasy novel, the way he waxed poetic about all the dangerous creatures and plants that could be found there. Harry happily giggled along with Sasuke as his older cousin made grand gestures to emphasize his story. Itachi just sat next to them, patiently smiling and sometimes nudging them to get their attention back on the lesson.

Kaien was busy bringing some boxes over when Harry heard it.

“ _Damn, bloody bastard, you’ll pay for this-“_

Harry frowned. He looked around, trying to find whoever was speaking. There was no one.

Maybe he imagined it? But no, there it was again, using words that would have certainly caused Aunt Uruchi to wash his mouth out with soap if she ever caught Harry saying them. It sounded pretty serious too. Alarmed, Harry looked around once more. No one! But he was sure he heard it!

The third time he was interrupted by a pebble hitting his forehead. “Oi, brat! Pay attention!”

He blushed at his cousins’ curious looks and held back the urge to rub the smarting spot. Why were they ignoring the voice? Did they know about it?

“ _Filthy, disgusting-“_

Discreetly Harry once more looked for the source, so concentrated at not letting Kaien notice he almost jumped out of his skin when someone touched his arm unexpectedly. Itachi wasn’t even bothering to give him an admonishing look and continued observing the animals their teacher was showing them. The message was clear. _Pay attention._

Harry shifted and tried his best to ignore the voice. Itachi was ignoring it too so it was probably okay. Maybe it was a test to see how well they could deal with distractions?

_Oh no…_

He whimpered soundlessly. If so then he had failed when even Sasuke had noticed the test, and Sasuke was a whole year younger! Uncle Fugaku would be so disappointed…

The rest of the lesson he did his best to commit everything to memory to make up for his mistake. Hopefully that would ease his uncle’s disappointment a little.

A Konoha Leech, a Purple Scorpion Centipede, and a small, highly venomous jumping spider he hadn’t managed to remember the name of later, he was successfully tuning the voice out. It helped that the class was so interesting. Kaien was a gifted storyteller and had brought living examples because _pictures don’t do these beauties justice!_ Cousin Kaien was a bit silly that way. Not that it was a bad thing.

Right now he was taking the next creature out of its box, careful not to get bitten or stabbed or whatever it did that made it dangerous. Harry leaned forward, only subconsciously noticing the voice’s increased profanities.

“Look here cousins, this one is one of my favorites.” With a theatrical gesture he lifted the animal, keeping a firm grip on its triangular head. “Now _this_ is a Ruby Fire Whip. Lovely creature, lovely venom-“

It was a snake. More than three foot long, the serpent was all slender muscles covered in honey colored scales that reflected the light with a hint of orange as it twisted in the shinobi’s grip. On its back it had thin, ruby patterns of flame-like diamonds. It was indeed a beautiful creature.

Harry was staring at it incredulously, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey Harry-chan? You okay back there?”

Harry didn’t pay them much attention, instead caught completely by the litany of death-threats coming from the foul-mouthed reptile.

“Harry? Itachi, give him a shake will you?”

His cousin blocking his view snapped Harry out of it. Then he got angry. “So that’s what it was? That’s ridiculous!”

“Harry?” Itachi blinked at him with surprise, quite a strong expression of emotion from his usually composed cousin. Sasuke and Kaien looked the same.

Harry ignored it and glared at him. “You can quit the act, should have known you’d be in on it, “ Harry muttered resentfully, hurt to see all three of them in on the test, or joke, or whatever it was supposed to be. Even _Sasuke!_

“In on what?”

“You know what!” Harry glared at them. They got him, so now they could quit playing dumb, thank you very much.

“Harry,” Kaien said calmly, carefully putting the snake away, only the tensing of his muscles indicating a different state of mind, “Just pretend we don’t know and tell us what’s wrong.”

“What, so you can all laugh at me? You know it sounds stupid!” Tears pricked behind Harry’s eyes. Why were they dragging it out?

Kaien put a calming hand on his shoulder, face serious. “Alright Harry, I get you’re upset. But tell us, even if it sounds stupid. We promise we won’t laugh.” He threw a sharp look at the other two. “Right, Itachi? Sasuke?” Both boys nodded.

“You’re being mean.” Harry sniffled.

Kaien gathered him in a hug. “Please, Harry, tell us what’s wrong?”

“But you know anyway.”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Liar.”

“Harry. _Please._ ”

Harry huffed angrily. “You made that voice come from the snake. Why do you keep saying you didn’t?! It’s not funny!”

Above him cousin Kaien was silent. O-kay, that was _it._ if his older cousin wanted to play stupid Harry would let him. He struggled to get out of the embrace. Kaien just tightened his arms. “Kaien-!” Turning, Harry’s angry tirade was cut off by the expression on his cousin’s face. Kaien’s eyes were wide and he was staring at Harry.

“You heard the snake talk?” Kaien asked quietly. Next to him Itachi and Sasuke shifted closer, worried looks upon their faces.

Harry scowled. “ _Yes._ It’s a _really_ bad joke,” he said in the iciest tone he could manage. Which unfortunately wasn’t really that icy. Nothing like his uncle’s.

“Harry…” Kaien said slowly, “There is _no joke._ ”

Harry frowned. “But I heard it!”

A raised brow. “Can you still hear it?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Of _course_.” The snake wasn’t exactly quiet about its displeasure.

Kaien took a deep breath. “ _Right._ ”

He reached behind him and dragged the box next to him, forcing Sasuke to relocate to Itachi's side. A grate was keeping the snake from escaping and it wasn’t pleased about that _at all._

“ _Idiotic beasts! Release me! I'll kill you, and make your corpse a nest for my eggs-!”_

Harry glared at the creature. “Shut up. You’re annoying.”

Silence. Harry blinked. Huh, he hadn’t expected it to work.

His eyes met Itachi's, who was staring at him as if he suddenly announced he was going to wear dresses from now on. Sasuke looked the same. As did Kaien. Even the _snake_ was staring!

Harry crossed his arms and glared at all of them, trying to hide his unease.

“Harry…” Sasuke said uncertainly, “Why did you hiss?”

Now it was Harry’s turn to stare.

“... I think I should go talk to Fugaku-oji-sama,” Kaien said tersely.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Kaien knew it was silly, but he felt just a little bit better when his Clan Head seemed to be just as surprised as he had been when he had witnessed Harry’s newest talent.

“He heard the snake talk?”

“Yep. Harry-chan told me some of its threats. Very creative reptile, that one.”

“You’re sure he didn’t make them up?” Fugaku asked, more out of obligation than actual doubt. It _was_ a very unusual ability. Then again, it might come with the magic.

Kaien snickered. “As he had to ask what a couple of words meant, I doubt it. Plus he seemed genuinely surprised some of the threats were actually possible.”

Fugaku rubbed his forehead, thinking. “Check if it goes for all snake species. If so then we’ll have to look into getting him a Summoning Contract.”

Kaien nodded. And then abruptly groaned when he realized exactly how much work Fugaku had saddled him with. The next few weeks he’d be busy for sure.

“Can’t Harry just ask one whether they all speak the same language?”

Fugaku shrugged. “He could, but I’d like to check anyway. Snakes might perceive the concept of species differently.”

Kaien sighed, defeated. “Can I at least get help?”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

After Kaien had closed the door behind him, Fugaku poured himself a cup of sake with a thoughtful air. Speaking with snakes. Rodents would have been more useful, seeing how those tended to follow humans like starved dogs would the scent of fresh meat, and would have made fairly competent thieves if you'd manage to get them trained properly. Or even just placing listening devices would have been useful.

But snakes made effective assassins. And though they stood out more, they were still capable of infiltration if the situation called for it. It was unfortunate they were quite vulnerable to temperatures, but despite that Fugaku could already see many advantages.

Taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage and savoring the ensuing warmth radiating from his stomach, Fugaku returned to his work. There were still many questions about Harry's abilities, but those would be answered with time. Instead, from all the conundrums the whole magic-issue had brought him, the most worrying one didn't originate from Harry.

No, it was the document their distant acquaintance had brought them. The family tree.

Created through a ritual using blood and hair and birthplace soil, there was no doubt about the correctness of the results, the elderly witch had told him. According to her only very powerful blood magic would have been able to throw that ritual off. Given how his confusion centered around an Uchiha who had been born and raised in Konoha, Fugaku thought it reasonable to rule out that particular scenario.

Which meant Uchiha Obito was alive, when his teammates and the Fourth Hokage himself had sworn he had been killed on a mission during the Third Shinobi War a couple of years back.

Fugaku had made inquiries of course, even going as far as to request a private audience with the Fourth and the last member of his old Genin team. Needless to say neither Minato or Hatake had been very pleased. Fugaku had kept quiet about the true origin of his source, but otherwise he had told them that he'd found some worrying evidence that Obito might have survived that fateful mission back then, weaving some tale about a rumor of a shinobi matching his description and a couple of jutsu that were minor Uchiha Clan secrets.

That, of course, had immediately raised the alarming question of why Obito had never returned home then, and none of them had been able to come up with an answer. The most probable guess had been that Obito had been captured, but why one would bother nursing a severely wounded Genin back to health they hadn't been able to guess. It couldn't have been for his Sharingan, as one eye had been destroyed and the other had been in the room with them at that very moment. Hatake, old grief in his uncovered eye and one hand unconsciously touching the hitai-ate that protected Obito's gift to him, had told them quietly it couldn't have been for any potential offspring either, as much of his lower body had been crushed as well.

They hadn't gotten anywhere and had decided not to do anything but keep an eye out, just in case.

And then the Kyuubi had attacked, claiming Minato's life and that of his wife, and the aftermath had demanded every drop of energy they had had to offer. From the signs Minato had tried to leave a clue, but none had been able to unravel it because someone had wiped most of the blood away that had made up the message.

Fugaku had mourned the Fourth's passing. Though they had not been friends Minato had been a man worth respecting, and one who handled the more hotheaded members of the Uchiha Clan with maddening calm and a sunny smile, devoid of even a hint of the hidden wariness his predecessors had always shown the members of Fugaku's Clan. Probably because unlike his predecessors, Minato hadn't had close ties with the Senju Clan, nor had he been deeply ingrained with the old rivalry between Konoha's oldest Clans that had never quite disappeared despite numerous claims from the previous three Hokage.

Minato had been a breath of fresh air, and in the wake of his death much had been lost. Not in the least the Clan's more favorable position within the village, as some ancient fools had chosen the wrong time to remember Uchiha Madara had been the last to use the great Tailed Beast in battle. As if the past was merely a record set on repeat and ancestors and descendants were one and the same!

Ashes, it irritated him to no end. For decades the Uchiha had upheld the peace within Konoha, offering the services of their most talented members for the betterment of the village, and after all of theirs that had bled and died for them the fools still believed the Uchiha would betray them? Had they forgotten that this was the Uchiha's home as well, and that none would have trusted something like the Kyuubi that close to their children? Controlled or not, that thing was a menace! They had witnessed personally what one long-ranged chakra blast of that beast could do, how could they believe any of the Uchiha had been safe?!

The Kyuubi was old and powerful and _intelligent. S_ omething must have happened to weaken the seal. Seeing how a couple of days before Kushina had still been heavy with child, and her son had been bloody and naked when they found him afterwards crying his lungs out, Fugaku had a pretty good idea what it had been. The Kyuubi probably had used the weakened state of its Jinchuuriki to break free during her labor.

Fugaku heaved a tired sigh. It had been several years, and the whole issue still hadn't been solved, despite the Third's cooperation. He just hoped by the time his two youngest would enter the Academy the situation would be better. Besides the fact that he did not want to have to pay some moronic fools a visit for bothering his sons, he did not think any conflict would last long without Harry's accidental magic lashing out. Not when they were training Harry to use it in the first place. And he did _not_ need the trouble of having to find an excuse if, say, an annoying classmate was suddenly turned pink from head to toe without any sign of actual dyes being used.

He sipped his sake. Oh well. They would cross that bridge when the time came. For now he could still keep his adopted son safely within the walls of the compound.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Harry was sitting in his room, curled up on his bed, refusing to face his brothers after what happened. They probably thought he was weird now. He sniffled. It wasn’t his fault he had a weird Kekkei Genkai!

A knock on the door, before it was pushed open. “Harry?”

Itachi, looking worried beneath his composed appearance. Harry winced. He didn't want to talk to Itachi right now. Then he noticed the messy hair of his younger brother peeking from behind Itachi's elbow. That was even worse.

“Can we come in?”

“... And if I said no?”

Itachi took this as a yes, ignoring Harry's obvious reluctance. Sasuke followed close behind. They sat down next to him on his bed, Sasuke even going as far as to try to see his downcast face. Harry made no move to make it easier for him.

“Are you okay?” Itachi's voice was calm, almost quiet, and eased some of his tension. Harry nodded jerkily.

“We won't think any less of you, you know?”

One green eye peeked at him through messy black bangs. Itachi offered him a reassuring smile. Sasuke, already bored with the seriousness, made an attempt to climb on his shoulders. Itachi shrugged him off, making their giggling brother roll against Harry with a squeak.

“You okay?” Sasuke asked him. “Itachi-nii-chan promised to train with us, remember?”

Harry hesitantly glanced at his older brother. Itachi poked him on the forehead. “And you were so enthusiastic this morning. Is your Kekkei Genkai bothering you?”

Harry slowly shook his head. “You?”

He went red when he realized how vague his question was, especially because Itachi seemed mystified. “Of course not. Why would it?”

Harry fidgeted. “I mean, about the snake...”

“So do I. I repeat, why would it?”

“... Because it's weird?”

Itachi made a very un-Itachi like sound. “I've seen a lot weirder. Did you know the Aburame have insects living inside them?”

Harry scrunched up his nose. “Ew.”

“Exactly. Now will you remain here sulking or are you coming to training?”

Harry hesitated and received another poke in the forehead for it. He huffed but couldn't maintain his pout. A grin broke through. Itachi smiled at him.

“Don't forget to bring your kunai.”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Itachi knocked on the door of his father's study, before sliding it open and peeking inside. “Otou-san, you wanted to see me?”

It was late, well past dinnertime and Sasuke really should have been to bed already. Instead he clung to his older brother's shirt while trying to prove he wasn't sleepy. Itachi was fondly exasperated. At least Harry had had the sense to go to bed after the day he'd had.

“I do. Itachi, Come in. Sasuke.” His father gave his youngest a stern look. “Go to bed.” Fugaku was sitting at his desk, turning away from his paperwork to give Itachi a once over before directing him to the pair of zabuton in the corner. Itachi gave Sasuke a goodnight hug before nudging his little brother into the direction of his room, earning himself a pout and a sullen _'night, Nii-chan_. Closing the door behind him Itachi knelt down on the cushion, choosing to take the formal seiza position instead of the more casual crossed legs, as his father calling him to his study always had to be taken seriously.

Then he waited patiently for his father to sit as well and speak.

“Todays situation requires some explaining, I believe. Though you've been very considerate to Harry, you have to be aware of the extend his Kekkei Genkai is and it's importance to the Clan. Know that this knowledge is not to be shared without my permission.”

Itachi didn't react, knowing his father wouldn't approve. Instead he waited patiently and quietly for the information his father saw fit to impart. It earned him a barely-there smile.

“Now listen carefully-”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Itachi was very quiet when he prepared himself for bed that night. He knew Harry was actually his cousin, but it had never mattered. To him, Harry had just been his little brother-in-all-but-blood. Now, it seemed, that last bit had turned out to have some very unexpected consequences. He had known Harry's ability was rare, and he had known that people would be _very_ interested if they ever found out – as in, unhealthily interested – but Itachi had never imagined it to be this _big_.

Snakes. Transformations. Levitation. _Curses_. The list was long and daunting.

And Harry would be able to do it all. Now he knew why his mother had always been adamant he would not take Harry outside the compound till his adopted brother had learned to _never_ even _hint_ at what he could do. And why his father had insisted Harry trained the ability, even when it had just consisted of color changes and some very weak levitation.

 _Magic._ A form of energy manipulation as diverse and powerful as chakra. And Harry could use _both._

Absentmindedly Itachi wondered whether an aspirin would be a good idea.

Of course, in the end it didn't really matter. Harry was an Uchiha. He was a target anyway. One reason was enough to be trouble, so one more didn't really matter. _One killing blow or twenty; you can only die once._

Not that Itachi would let Harry die. Harry was his little brother, no matter what genetics said. Anyone out to harm him had to go through father, mother, and Itachi himself. And from what his father could tell about the accidental magic, chances were that even if someone succeeded, they'd be in for a _surprise._ And not the ambush-with-confetti-and-cake variety.

Still. Maybe it was time to review some of his traps....

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WORD LIST:  
> Zabuton: a Japanese cushion meant for sitting.
> 
> Ikebana: flower arrangement, Japan style.
> 
> Hitai-ate: the headbands/forehead protectors shinobi wear. Basically a strap of cloth with a rectangular piece of metal attached, with the Village symbol etched in the middle of the metal plate. Common colors for the cloth are blue, red, black, and dark gray.
> 
> Jutsu: art/technique/skill; both singular and plural, as most Japanese nouns do not change form as they do in English. Most nouns (with the exception of nouns referring to people) have no plural form. For example: 'cat' and 'cats' are both the same word neko. Or, in this case, jutsu is used for both one and several techniques.
> 
> Katon: fire-release/fire-style. Basically fire based jutsu. Is one of the basic elemental nature transformations. It is performed by molding superheated chakra inside the stomach before releasing it via the lungs and mouth. There are also variants to this in the form of some mediums such as the use of gun powder, ash, explosive tags and chakra flow into a weapon. Consists of mid to long-ranged offensive techniques that cause combustive and explosive damage. The art of having the flames obey the user's will is said to be outrageously difficult. The chakra nature is common among shinobi of Konohagakure (Konoha; full name Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves) in the Land of Fire.
> 
> Suiton: water-release/water-style. Basically water based jutsu. is one of the basic elemental nature transformation techniques that allow the user to manipulate pre-existing water, or create their own, by turning their chakra into water. It takes much more skill and chakra to create the water outside the body than to manipulate what is already available or expel it from their mouths. One of the most versatile of the five basic chakra natures, Water Release techniques can not only change shape but state as well. Moreover, the water can become more solid in the process as well. The water affinity is seemingly more common amongst shinobi of Kiri (full name Kirigakure no Sato, the Village Hidden by Mist). Offensive water techniques seem to inflict harm from the sudden force that they exert, which would cause massive internal damage to a human. 
> 
> Okaa: mama/mother.
> 
> Otou: papa/father.
> 
> Oba: Aunt.
> 
> Oji: Uncle.
> 
> Nii: big brother. Variations: Onii, Ani, and Aniki.
> 
> Tatami: a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core (though nowadays sometimes the core is composed of compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam), with a covering of woven soft rush (igusa) straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width, an aspect ratio of 2:1. Usually, on the long sides, they have edging (heri) of brocade or plain cloth, although some tatami have no edging. 
> 
> AUTOR'S NOTE/RAMBLINGS:  
> Normally I would translate 'cousin' too (Itoko, used for both male and female, and without differentiation between ages), but for the sake of the readers less familiar with Japanese I decided against it. You guys will probably have issues enough with what I've already put in. That, and it might have been confusing as it is quite close to 'Itachi'.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review, I enjoy reading them very much.


	3. Chapter 3

A couple of months had passed since the snake incident. It had taken some coaxing and the combined effort of his siblings before Harry had been motivated enough to try and explore the extent of his ability. The results had been... surprising.

Shisui himself had been involved whenever he had time and he could honestly say there was something decidedly unsettling about hearing Harry produce sounds no human should be able to make with so little effort.

Now the time had come to present their findings to the rest of their Clan, which was why Kaien was scratching his head while doing some last-minute reviewing before it would be his turn to address the Clan, a look of contemplation on his face. A thin strip of bandages peeked out from under his right sleeve, marking the place where one of the wide variety of snakes he had collected had managed to bite him. It wasn't serious and had only left him woozy for a couple of days, but Shisui knew Kaien was still decidedly disgruntled about the injury. His cousin took pride in his status as animal expert, so getting bitten had hurt his pride far more than the actual poisoning.

Finally, everyone had quit discussing the previous topic. Fugaku signaled Kaien to start.

“Okay. So, as everyone knows I have been assigned the task of researching Harry-kun's ability, and have done so for the last few months. Per our Clan Head's request, I am to inform you all of the results at this point in time.

“So far I've been unable to procure a snake species Harry-kun couldn't communicate with. Just to be clear, with 'communicate' I mean able to speak with in full blown sentences about anything ranging from 'food' to abstract concepts like topography and philosophy,” Kaien began, before digressing into more random blather, as he was prone to do whenever he was a bit nervous. He wasn't fond speaking to large groups, even if they were family. “How on earth a reptile can understand an utterly human idea like Nothingness I'll never understand, even more so because body language is supposed to be a big part of communication, and ours shouldn't be recognizable to them. Though I guess it isn't _entirely_ surprising considering that Summons understand us perfectly well, though we believed they received a thorough education for that-”

Kaien momentarily paused when looked up and saw the increasingly impatient expressions on the other Uchiha's faces. The meeting had been taken a couple of hours already, so everyone's tolerance was running thin. Kaien shrugged and waved a dismissive hand at them. “Yeah, yeah, I get it, I digress, get to the point already,” Kaien rattled off, voicing their thoughts and adding a layer of indignant frowns to their countenances. “Anyway. Despite the fact that the snakes all seem to speak the same language without any apparent social interaction ever observed between the species besides agressive behavior – which, let me tell you, makes exactly _no_ sense – that isn't the weirdest part.”

“And what, pray tell, _is_ the weirdest part?” drawled Suzume, arms crossed with an air of exasperation.

Kaien gave her a flat stare for her rudeness.

Shisui hid a huff of amusement, knowing what kind of thoughts were running through Kaien's mind. They'd discussed it often enough when celebrating a successful mission, generally earning themselves a couple of tolerantly amused looks from Haruka and Itachi. Honestly, their darling Suzume should get a boyfriend, maybe that would loosen her up a bit. Their older cousin was pretty enough with her long hair and deceptively slender body. She might not be the curviest of women but still nothing to scoff at, and Shisui knew enough Jounin who would consider her skill at taijutsu highly attractive. Now if only she'd quit being such a Clan fanatic....

Shisui sniggered inwardly. Yeah right, as if that would ever happen.

Shisui suddenly became aware of a cold glare being aimed at Kaien by their cousin's storm-gray eyes. Apparently something in Kaien's expression had given him away because Suzume ticked up her eyebrow in clear warning.

Either that, or she'd had a couple of bad nights and was simply in a foul mood.

Kaien wisely chose not to risk it and refocused on the task at hand.

Shisui smiled, glad she hadn't noticed him as well. They could figure out a way to hook up their grouchy cousin later.

“Well, to be short, from what Harry-kun relayed of the conversations the snakes are at least as intelligent as a Summon and have just as diverse personalities,-” Kaien resumed, only to be interrupted again.

“So what's the problem!” one of the guys in the back demanded impatiently. Yep. Tolerance had definitely ran out.

“If you all would let me finish speaking,” Kaien muttered sullenly. “The weird thing is their attitude towards Harry-kun. They are far too willing to do what he wants them to for beings with that much personality.”

 _Ah, yes,_ Shisui thought. He had noticed that one too. The snakes knew Harry was human, and a child to boot – they called him _hatchling,_ which had caused Sasuke to be unable to quit giggling at his brother for a couple of days, no matter how much wounded pride Harry's expression conveyed – yet they were astonishingly willing to follow Harry's commands even when they knew they could get hurt.

“Did you manage to find out why?” This time it was Fugaku, frowning slightly, obviously just as suspicious as they were about such unwarranted obedience.

Kaien looked equally dubious. “They seem to believe it’s an honor.”

“And why shouldn’t it be?” Inabi called snidely. “He’s an Uchiha!”

A few others laughed, but Shisui wanted to snarl at them. It might have been said in jest, but it were attitudes like those that made the Clan’s standing in the village so precarious. Bad enough that people already believed the worst of them, only morons would reinforce that negative imago!

Unfortunately, like every Clan the Uchiha had a few morons among them. And unfortunately, almost all of them didn’t seem to get it through their thick skulls when certain comments were appropriate or not. Including his ten-year older, quick to fly off the handle, cousin Inabi.

 _Honestly,_ Shisui thought sourly, _aren’t Uchiha supposed to be_ geniuses? He couldn’t remember who had said that, but as always that remark had chafed. Not only mocking but also downright negating any personal accomplishment. Apparently being a genius gave people a free pass to wave away achievements as substandard and nitpick at every small mistake. Even when you really did something remarkable it was ‘only expected’, and any hard work was ignored as mere ‘talent’.

Worse, the morons actually seemed to actually believe those words, and the souring relationship with the village raised expectations even further among the prideful Uchiha, so when Itachi finished a mission without getting a compliment for it they lambasted Itachi for not doing better, and when Harry found a new use for his ability they complained that they’d expected more. Even Sasuke, who worked hard to get out from under the shadow of his brothers, was facing reproach because he wasn’t improving faster. Kid had only just turned five!

If they all did as the morons wanted they’d all burn themselves out before the year was over.

_Idiots!_

“I rather think that our name would mean little to serpents,” Haruka commented dryly.

Inabi shot him a mulish glare for that. “Who cares why they do it? As long as they can be relied on their reasons shouldn't be a problem.”

He got a host of incredulous looks for that from the more experienced Uchiha. Not knowing someones motives could lead to disaster. Granted, snakes were unlikely to cause anything truly irreparable, but lethal venom was lethal venom, and could still cost you dearly should some of them turn out to be unreliable.

Inabi proved he wasn't as stupid as he was acting and took the hint, clamping his mouth shut. A chagrined look twisted his face, lips thin with displeasure.

 _Now if only he would_ keep _it shut..._ Shisui thought, mentally shaking his head. Inabi had always thought too little before he acted.

“How far do you think we can trust the snakes to stay obedient?” Yashiro, one of their uncles, asked, bringing the discussion back on topic.

Kaien scratched his head and shrugged. “I think we can trust them to carry out simple tasks like guarding the perimeter and aid Harry when he needs them, but until I've had more time to observe I wouldn't count on long-term commitment,” he decided after some careful thought.

Fugaku nodded, probably having expected such a conclusion. “Very well. In that case I think it is best to arrange a Summoning Contract soon. Having Summons work together with the ordinary snakes might solve our problem of reliability.”

“Already? I thought your son will be celebrating his sixth birthday in a couple of days? He hasn't even started the Academy yet,” Granny Setsuya inquired, concern coloring the white-haired elder's voice even though she didn't avert her eyes from the shirt she was mending. She was one of the oldest Uchiha, having borne four children, three who where already dead. She was one of the gentlest souls among the elders, and always concerned about the wellbeing of the children of the Clan. Of all the elders she was Shisui's favorite, not only for her mellow personality and patient advice, but most of all because she was the only one advocating a more sedate pace of development for _all_ children, including geniuses like Itachi and himself.

According to her the Clan should be a family first and foremost, and the happiness of the members paramount. In that she differed from the other elders, who sometimes seemed to see the Clan only as a military organization. Granny Setsuya had once explained the other elders' standpoints as them being to damn stubborn for their own good, having lost too many loved ones and consequently having become disconnected from the younger generations.

 _That was the trouble about getting old,_ she had told them a couple of years ago, voice gentle and kind and as grandmotherly as they came while offering Itachi and Shisui some homemade dango to snack on, blithely ignoring the fact that she was probably spoiling their appetites for dinner. _We forget what it is to be young and inexperienced, and the endless years it took us to grow beyond our limitations. The situation after the Kyuubi didn't help at all – only made them more impatient. Blasted old fools._ She had given them a conspiring smile, twinkling gray eyes as youthful as any youngster planning a prank. _Maybe we should remodel their gardens. Being forced to watch how long it takes for plants to grow might remind them that looking back is a thousand times easier than moving forward._

“I do not plan to start him on actual summoning until he has the chakra reserves for it,” Fugaku reassured her. “But the only person in Konoha with a Snake Summoning Contract is currently a member of ANBU, and I trust I do not need to point out what kind of risk that poses.”

Everyone nodded. ANBU might not be much worse of a health hazard than the other ranks as long as you had the skills for it, but unlike the other ranks unfavorable outcomes tended to lean heavily towards _dead_ instead of _injured_. Once something went wrong on an ANBU mission, it went _wrong,_ and unless you were lucky and had the right team for the occasion, chances of lethal injury tended to shoot up through the roof.

“Well then, if everyone's in agreement I suggest we arrange the signing of the Contract as soon as possible. Kaien, Haruka, you two have the task to convince the snake summoner to comply. Meeting dismissed,” Fugaku ordered after a moment of silence, cutting off any protests before they could arise.

Haruka gave a decorous nod before rising and grabbing his brother by the back of his shirt. Kaien was less graceful in his acceptance, being just a bit late to react because of his relief of his part being over.

“Hey, what-? But I already- Aww, seriously? This isn't _fair...,_ ” Kaien complained as he was dragged off.

Shisui smothered an utterly unsympathetic snicker.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Harry was sitting in the middle of the garden, watching the black-and-yellow snake that had introduced itself as _'Raishuu, nice ta meetcha. Hey, is tha' mousey for me?'_

Harry had smiled, mentally thanking Kaien for his foresight, and had shoved the squeaking mouse towards the reptile. Shortly after he had promptly decided that an eating snake was _weird,_ with its too-wide mouth and bulges in odd places. Raishuu had just laughed at the observation – greatly muffled by the rodent stuffed in his mouth – and had cheerfully ignored Harry's staring.

Now the serpent was clumsily climbing all over Harry's lap, the weight of the devoured mouse throwing the snake off balance. Raishuu didn't seem to mind in the slightest, more than happy to take advantage of Harry's natural body heat and the late-morning sun to get comfortable.

Smiling as Harry ran his fingers over the smooth scales – much to the pleasure of his latest companion, judging from the purring hiss – morbidly curious about the feel of the devoured mouse beneath Raishuu's skin. It was really odd to trace the slightly squishy curves on the snake's body, not in the least because Raishuu was apparently ticklish between his scales. Harry had never associated snakes with _giggling._ Or pleas for mercy and a request to scratch a little higher.

It had taken a long time until he could wrap his mind around being able to understand what a snake was saying, but Harry had to admit it was interesting, if only because snakes tended to view the world quite differently than humans.

It had taken some practice, but now Harry could _hear_ the difference between Japanese and Snake-language. In fact, it had been a lot like learning to tell apart the different dialects of the Hidden Countries. Snake-language had a slithering, breathy lilt to each and every word, chaining the words and sentences together in an almost melodic cadence.

Harry had the sneaking suspicion he'd sooner or later discover Snake-language had its own range of dialects. He was pretty sure he could already tell venomous snakes from the non-venomous ones, though he wasn't confident enough to bet on it yet; something in the shape of their fangs caused them to speak more stilted, possibly due to the extra space the specialized fangs occupied compared to ordinary ones.

Gently Harry stroked Raishuu's narrow head, enjoying the pleased sounds it earned him as they basked in the sun together. Best off all was that he could actually call this _training_ , as long as he pretended to keep up a steady conversation with Raishuu.

Honestly, Snake-language was infinitely better than English. Pity he couldn't just speak Snake when he would attend the magic school.

He squinted his eyes at the blue sky. Then again, might have become difficult doing his homework, he admitted to himself. It seemed that ophidians had never bothered to develop a written language. Harry sighed mournfully.

“Harry?”

Harry tilted his head further back and grinned.

“Hey Itachi-nii.”

“Still practicing? I thought the whole advantage of your ability was that you didn't need to learn the language?” Itachi inquired, shooting his little brother a knowing look as he leaned forward to study Raishuu.

“Shhh!” Harry hissed at him so low he almost slipped into Snake-speak, green eyes pleading like a puppy's. Itachi was weak against puppy-dog eyes, a fact Harry and Sasuke took shameless advantage off, knowing it was only a matter of time until their older brother's slowly increasing resistance would make him immune. Not to mention they would sooner or later lose their childish faces that made the technique so effective. Harry made his eyes as big and endearing as he could. “Please don't tell Kaien-senpai?”

Itachi chuckled quietly. “Harry, it's not nice to deceive your sensei.”

Harry crossed his arms, sticking his nose up in the air, the perfect picture of a conceited Clan brat. “If a student succeeds in deceiving his sensei then the sensei is clearly not up for the job,” he declared snootily.

Itachi visibly smothered a laugh, grinning as he poked his little brother in the forehead. “Silly Otouto.”

Harry couldn't keep pretending and burst out laughing, ignoring Raishuu's bemused look. “I'm right,” Harry crowed, “I'm right and you know it, Nii-san!”

Itachi ruffled his hair. “You are right, Otouto, but who says Kaien didn't notice?”

Harry blinked.

Itachi smiled and pointed at something behind Harry.

Harry turned and looked.

Kaien waved at him from the roof, a mischievous grin on his face. “Busted, Harry-chan! You need to be more observant!”

“Gah!”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Shisui was deeply amused. Harry was scowling like a little demon and Kaien and Itachi had been kind enough to enlighten him on the cause.

“Honestly, Harry-chan, you shouldn't scowl so much or your face will stay like that,” Shisui teased.

Harry grumbled something indiscernible.

“What was that?” Shisui prodded, snickering at the sullen glower Harry sent his way. “Aww, little cousin, don't be mad at _me_. It's not _my_ fault Kaien figured you out. Skivvying your training is bad for you, you know?”

“Shut up,” Harry growled, throwing a sopping wet sponge at his older cousin. Shisui dodged it with ease.

“Now, now, Harry-chan, don't be a poor sport now.” Shisui ruffled his little cousin's hair, taking childish delight in making it stick up even worse than it usually did. “Kaien caught you fair and square. Least you can do is accept your punishment like a man.”

Harry shot him a glare, reluctantly getting up to retrieve the sponge. Clearly he thought being forced to give all Kaien's vivaria a thorough cleaning to be an unreasonably severe punishment. Kaien had a _lot_ of pets, all of them dangerous to the point of lethality; or at least urgent need for specialized medical attention.

Shisui thought Harry shouldn't complain. Kaien had taken care to move the ones Harry couldn't communicate with to the temporary containers himself so Harry wouldn't be in too much danger. Granted, Harry still had to move all snakes, which, apparently, had quite an attitude when they didn't want to be woken up to be placed in uncomfortable boxes; but then again, Harry _had_ insisted he needed to practice his snake-speaking skill.

Of course, Shisui had been needling Harry for the last hour or so, so maybe his little cousin was entitled to his foul mood. Shisui couldn't bring himself to care. Kaien had had other things to do and had tricked Shisui into supervising Harry's punishment. He needed something to amuse himself with and a moody Harry made an easy target. A funny one too.

Shisui draped himself across a chair, fed up with standing the whole time. He sighed, smiling. “Oh, Harry-chaaan~.”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

Shisui kept himself from sucking in a sharp breath. Harry had shot some sparks there. Like a good little Uchiha brat, Harry had realized as well and immediately put them out.

In their containers the snakes hissed what could very well be loud swears from the way Harry winched.

Shisui just grinned, wide and wicked and without a shred of mercy.

_Lets see what else I can tease out._

If Kaien complained Shisui would just call it training. It wasn't as if they couldn't catch the snakes if they escaped.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Harry was still scowling when they dragged him off after dinner for some late exercise. Sasuke was visibly trying suppress his mirth in an attempt to imitate Itachi's almost non-existent smile.

He wasn't doing too well, much to Harry's chagrin.

“Don't be a sourpuss Harry-chan,” Shisui scolded cheerily at one particularly savage glare, getting it aimed at himself for his troubles. Shisui ignored it and made a show of stretching languidly, annoying Harry even further. Shisui paused for a moment and almost unnoticeably frowned, making a mental note to do a bit of working out himself as well. His muscles felt a bit too stiff for his liking.

Shisui glanced at Itachi and perked up when his cousin gave him a cordial nod. Shisui smiled at him. Figured Itachi would be able to predict his request.

A flit of fingers behind his head and Itachi was made aware that Shisui had discovered another one of Harry's abilities. A thin eyebrow rose, and Shisui easily caught the reprimand in Itachi's inquiring look.

Shisui offered a barely-there shrug. He'd been bored, he'd found something to do, and it wasn't as if it had harmed Harry. Though Kaien had almost blown his top when he saw the heap of shattered glass. How was Shisui supposed to know Harry could blow things up when he was mad? At least most of the terrariums had only had one glass wall, and it wasn't as if Kaien hadn't been prepared in case an explosive seal or something happened to go off in there. Accidents _happen_.

Shisui had even been so nice to help Harry replace the windows and admitted guilt enough to hand over several hundred ryou so Kaien could restock his emergency stash. He sniffed to himself. Honestly, Itachi had no reason to look at him like that.

Itachi just rolled his eyes, probably already having a general idea of what had happened. Shisui's cousin always made pretty accurate guesses. It could be a bit annoying at times.

“Are you gonna spar too?” Sasuke asked Shisui, oblivious to their silent conversation. Itachi and Shisui shared a glance, wordlessly agreeing to continue later on.

“Yeah, think so,” Shisui confirmed, smiling at the excited expression on Sasuke's face. Even Harry looked less resentful at the promise to see some serious skills displayed.

Shisui's smile turned somewhat melancholic, knowing that it was not entirely their own choice to be so interested in martial prowess. Nowadays no day went by without _someone_ mentioning Shisui's and Itachi's skills to their younger cousins, often with a comment that Harry and Sasuke should aspire to be just as good. It was putting far more pressure on his little cousins than Shisui thought acceptable.

Glancing to the side, Shisui caught a similar expression on Itachi's face. Neither of them agreed with what the Clan was doing.

“Come on, Nii-san! You guys are slow!” Sasuke called, already standing at the entrance to the Clan's training grounds, eagerly hopping from one foot to the other. Harry stood beside him, still miffed, but most of his aggravation replaced by an expectant expression.

When they were just a few steps away Sasuke lost his patience and darted forward to grab their hands, pulling enthusiastically in an attempt to make them walk faster. Shisui smirked mischievously and slowed down a bit, using his greater mass to counter Sasuke's efforts. Itachi smiled indulgently, before giving Shisui a pointed look. Shisui huffed with feigned petulance and quit his teasing.

“Show us some cool moves, Nii-san!” Sasuke released their hands once they entered the training grounds and quickly raced to the middle of the field, almost bouncing in his excitement.

With a sigh Itachi stepped forward, an acquiescent expression on his face, and made sure they warmed up first before showing his little brothers a slightly advanced kata.

Shisui shook his head and left them to it, opting to do his own warming-up before he'd pull Itachi over for their spar. They couldn't let Harry and Sasuke train too long anyway, the kids had done almost nothing else the last few weeks. Harry may have had his (stolen, and then turned unappreciated) break, but Itachi had divulged his concerns about their – and especially Sasuke's – increasing fanaticism to Shisui just that morning.

Shisui scowled at nothing in particular. Six and five years old and already so focused on getting stronger they'd even work themselves into the ground after dinner. If he hadn't already known what morons there were in their family he might have thought there was a war coming from they way those two were pushed to train; as if they were expected to join the ranks within the year or something.

A chill ran down Shisui's spine. Yes, he could see _way_ too many similarities between this and his own years during the war. He had been quite young and Itachi even younger, but both were Uchiha and prodigies, and the Clan had acted as if they expected them to pull something similar to Hatake Kakashi, who had joined the ranks at _five,_ for Kami's sake, and had ended up emotionally stunted for his efforts. It was only thanks to the joined efforts of Granny Setsuya, Aunt Mikoto, and Shisui's mother that Shisui and Itachi had been spared such a fate.

And now, for some reason, Harry and Sasuke were encouraged exactly the same.

_War._

Ashes and death _,_ he prayed not.

And yet, while he watched Sasuke execute a high kick with way too much zeal and almost lose his balance, and the subtle mournful edge in Itachi's smile as he explained where Sasuke had gone wrong, Shisui couldn't help but feel a cold, creeping inkling in the back of his mind that quietly whispered that he was being naive.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

“Okay Uchiha, tell me again why on earth I would help you,” Mitarashi Anko growled, ANBU mask clenched between her fingers. She did not like to be reminded of her past and these Uchiha were getting on her nerves.

Uchiha Haruka regarded her placidly through the bangs shadowing his face, showing not even the slightest twitch from the glare she sent him. His brother just grimaced slightly, not from being bothered by the look in her eyes but rather because he didn't seem very good at sitting still. Really, these two were like ice and fire in that aspect. And they _still weren't leaving._

“We already told you, one of ours would benefit greatly from learning one of your techniques-”

“Yes, you said, but you still haven't told me which one and why you think I am even the slightest bit inclined to help him!” Anko shot back impatiently. Inwardly she was seething and thinking up ways to get rid of them without getting arrested by T&I for some one-on-one quality time. She liked Ibiki, she really did, despite his tenancy to play his blasted mind-games with everyone he talked to – but not when he was on the other side of the interrogation desk. Somehow she didn't think he would consider 'they were bothering me' a good enough excuse.

But, oh, she wanted to. Barely three hours back from an exhausting mission, _still_ not having caught any sleep, and these idiot Uchiha had been stupid enough to accost her on her way home.

… Okay, if she was absolutely honest with herself their actions made perfect sense as they wouldn't be able to find her otherwise, cooped up as she usually was in the very bowls of the T&I Department during her spare time, let alone get her to sit still long enough to listen. But she didn't feel like being honest.

She felt like having a good, long shower and then being dead to the world till noon the next day.

Uchiha Haruka had yet to let up on his imperturbable stare as he looked down on the shorter ANBU. Anko had the feeling that if he hadn't had composure drilled into him from a very young age as was tradition in most of the old Clans, she would have received a very intense glare instead.

Reluctantly acknowledging that she was pushing too far by demanding he'd discuss one of his Clan's abilities right out in the open, Anko backed down a bit. She heaved an aggravated sigh. “Okay, fine, listen. Can we just, don't know, make an appointment or something? Name a place and a time eighteen hours from now, or even better, a few hours after that, and we can talk. I'm way too tired to deal with this shit right now.”

The Uchiha let up on the non-glare, adopting a far less threatening expression without really moving a muscle. Anko was grudgingly impressed. Subtle as hell yet at the same time as effective as dousing someone in flammables and waving a lighter in their face with an innocent smile. Anko knew she was not cut out for subtlety.

Pity. She would have loved to learn that trick.

“Tomorrow, two hours after noon, the Uchiha Kissaten.” In typical Uchiha custom, it wasn't phrased as a question. Though Anko knew from countless hours trying to understand the old Clans' ways – as was required if you really wanted to get anywhere in ANBU – she could actually interpret it as one. Still, the tone ticked her off.

“That is in the Uchiha district.”

Haruka didn't move but gave the distinct impression he was raising an eyebrow at her. Anko would have been a lot more inclined to study his skills at non-verbal communication if she had been in a better mood.

“Fine,” she ground out, irritation twisting her lips in the beginning of an ugly snarl. The oldest Uchiha actually did raise an eyebrow at her this time, silently calling her out on her non-existent manners.

Then he gave her a gracious nod, ignoring her hostility with stately hauteur like the best of the aristocracy, as if she was too far beneath him to take offense. The younger brother was far less condescending, offering her an apologetic smile and a polite nod. Despite that, his I'll-be-nice-and-leave-you-alone-now expression still grated on Anko's nerves. With herculean effort she refrained from improving their looks with a couple of kunai.

Had she mentioned she hated Uchiha?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word list: 
> 
> Sensei: lit. 'person born before another'. In general usage, it is used, with proper form, after a person's name, and means 'teacher',and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, doctors, politicians, and clergymen, and other figures of authority. The word is also used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill: accomplished puppeteers, novelists, musicians, and artists for example are addressed in this way. 
> 
> Senpai: a more experienced (and often older) person, e.g. a senior at school or at work, a superior, or an elder.
> 
> Kissaten: lit. 'tearoom'. A Japanese-style tearoom that serves also coffee, sweets, and often breakfast, lunch, and light refreshments. I used this because I just know some of you will jump to the wrong conclusion if I'd used 'tea house'.
> 
> Otouto: little brother.
> 
> 1 ryou = 10 present-day yen, according to the translation note in volume 17 of Naruto. A 100 ryou would be equivalent to about $8,39, so several hundred ryou isn't that much for broken window panes. In the past a ryou used to be worth a lot more (ranging from 100.000 yen at the start of the Edo period, and 3000-4000 at the end; though estimates have suggested other values as well).
> 
> Author's note/ramblings:
> 
> Not a lot to say today, just please be so kind to leave a review, I enjoy reading them very much.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negotiating with Mitarashi Anko requires some unusual tactics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Urgh, _finally_. I… actually can't believe it's been this long. Taking this much time to get back on track was not my intention. Sorry for the wait everyone.
> 
> As for why it has been so long… you know, at first I had a good reason. Writing a thesis is a bitch. I guess after that this story just didn't want to be written for a while. The words just wouldn't come. And then I got distracted a lot by other stuff, including (but certainly not limited to) general RL and my other stories. A case of story-specific writer's block really, though luckily not strong enough to kill the story completely (thank god). I just hope there are still people left who are interested in reading this.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

 

Shisui sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. His poor, abused hair. Had he known Harry and Kaien would be this persistent in taking their revenge, he would have thought twice before provoking Harry into glass-shattering aggravation.

"You do realize you only have yourself to blame, don't you, Shisui?" Haruka's face was as serene as ever, but Shisui did not miss the glimmers of amusement in his cousin's eyes and the subtle curl at the corner of his lips.

"Itachi said the same. Multiple times," Shisui complained. "A bit of sympathy would be nice, you know?"

Haruka just smiled his brightest nearly-non-existent smile. The slightly creepy one.

Shisui _humph_ ed. Just because he was the reason why Harry broke all Kaien's vivaria was no reason for Kaien to side with their little cousin in the brat's revenge. Or for Haruka to side with his younger brother. If it wasn't for Kaien's blackmail and Aunt Mikoto stonewalling him, Shisui would have forced Harry to turn his hair back to normal the moment he´d realized he had woken up with a vastly different hairdo than he went to sleep with. It had only taken two minutes, including waking up and realizing what the heck had happened, to decide that waist-long, eye-wateringly bright curls were not his thing. Especially not when they came in hideous colours. That clashed.

Cutting it off wasn't even an option because they were coloured to the roots, and bald was _not_ a good look on Uchiha. Even shortening didn't work for long. It always came back overnight and by now his wastebasket looked as if someone had vomited select parts of a rainbow in it. He still cut it of course, and at the moment his hair was its usual length, but it was rapidly surpassing annoying and moving to downright irritating. Shisui was sure that Kaien was sneaking Harry to him whenever he let his guard down for a minute. No way was his little cousin being that stealthy on his own.

And Aunt Mikoto had forbidden him from retaliating against Harry with anything more serious than mock threats. It was unexpectedly cruel and Shisui was honest enough to admit he was a little resentful. Not being allowed to harass Harry until he undid whatever he'd done meant he had to take Kaien on if he wanted this to stop and get _him_ to convince Harry. Kaien might not be ANBU, but he was more than skilled enough to make vengeance a very tricky business to carry out without getting a face-full back. It was vastly unfair.

Shisui swore he was going to resort to embarrassing genjutsu if they didn't quit soon. It was petty, but he was running a bit low on options that didn't involve violence.

Thing was, had Harry not used his abilities to make him the laughing stock of the Clan, Shisui would have been a bit impressed. Shisui hadn't known Harry could lengthen hair, hadn't even had a clue he could directly change a part of someone's body at all. He had a feeling that Haruka might have a good idea when Harry had figured that out. Harry must've been practicing just to get back at him for his teasing. Kaien had probably helped.

To be honest, as far as creativity went it wasn't that great a prank, but that did not make it any less embarrassing to be the victim. At least Harry's hadn't developed other, more annoying abilities. Yet. Levitation was only funny for so long, any snake might get hurt, and setting someone on fire was _not_ something to joke about. Everything else Harry was experimenting with was, as far as he knew, not ready to use on people yet, so harmless annoying it was.

As it was, Shisui was glad he was good with genjutsu. A small one applied to his hair ensured that at least no one outside the Clan was aware that a brat and a juvenile idiot had gotten the drop on him. It would have been too damn embarrassing otherwise.

Plus the elders would nag his ears off if that happened. He liked where his ears were right now, thanks you very much.

Unfortunately, there was still a risk that people would figure it out, given how Kaien grinned and blatantly made the sign for 'Kai' every time Shisui was within range. No one would believe the guy was Shisui's _older_ cousin if they could see him behave like that.

"Shisui! Haruka! Fancy seeing you here!"

And there the maniac was.

"So. She here yet?" Kaien asked, bouncing a little as he came to stand next to them inside the gates of the compound.

"Hello Otouto," Haruka greeted, his tiny smile turning fond at the sight of his younger brother. "Not yet. It's still a little early though."

Kaien hummed, turning a wicked grin towards Shisui. "My dear cousin!" he greeted enthusiastically, slinging an arm around Shisui's shoulders, knuckling his skull affectionately.

Shisui could feel his genjutsu dispel at his cousin's touch and squawked indignantly. Wriggling out of Kaien's grip he immediately started grappling with his older cousin, trying to get him into a headlock. "Damnit Kaien! The Elders are going to have a coronary if they see this! Never mind if _others_ see this!"

"If, if," Kaien said unconcerned, cheerfully fending of Shisui's attempts. "We're inside the compound and she isn't here yet. Don't be a worrywart." A grin. "I don't see what your problem is anyway. These colours suits you _so much._ "

"You–!"

"… Do I want to know what's happening here?"

Shisui turned slowly, dread rising in his gut. Mitarashi was standing a few yards away looking flat-out incredulous, her hand still in a subtle hand seal for Kai. Behind her, the two Uchiha on guard duty were giving them disapproving frowns.

Shisui and Kaien winced and let go of each other. Shisui shot a reproachful look at Haruka, who looked entirely unconcerned in the face of his glower.

He sighed mournfully to himself. They were going to get lectured, no doubt about it. They already knew the spiel. The Uchiha were old, well respected, a Founding Clan of Konoha, the Clan with the strongest doujutsu, and the backbone of the Konoha Military Police Force. Yadayadayada. They had a Reputation To Uphold.

Which meant no joking or horsing around in front of other people. Shisui's hair alone violated that.

Lightning-quick he reapplied his genjutsu, and the moment he felt it settle over himself he felt silly. Mitarashi had already seen.

She still hadn't lost that distinct what-the-heck look.

Shisui mentally grumbled. Stupid Elders. It was just _sad_ that a fellow Konoha ninja looked so stunned just because she witnessed them acting like normal people. Why couldn't they be more like the Inuzuka, who didn't give a damn what anyone thought of them and were well-respected despite that? At least then people might not dislike their Clan so much. With the current policy no one ever saw more than stick-in-the-muds and smug superiority from them. And yes, those traits were indeed present in the Clan – in too great abundancies, in his humble opinion – but there was so much more they _weren't allowed to show._

Sometimes it made Shisui despair a little.

Haruka cast a look their way and, visibly deciding that they weren't ready to play proper hosts just yet, stepped forward with a polite nod of his head. "Mitarashi-san, thank you for coming. Please follow me."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Anko trailed after the older Uchiha in somewhat of a daze. She had thought that after a good night of sleep had vastly improved her mood, she would be more prepared to deal with Uchiha. She had counted on stiff politeness and well-hidden disdain. She had even prepared for some yelling.

Hell, she'd even prepared to make the Uchiha's lives a lot harder just for being a bunch of arrogant assholes she didn't like.

Turned out, it was for naught. Not even one minute into the meeting and they had already caught her so badly off guard that the air of barely supressed gleeful violence she had wanted to give off was already ruined by shock and curiosity. She had checked for genjutsu but even though she had not found any, she still wasn't convinced she was not under one.

Or maybe someone had managed to slip her a hallucinogen. That was an option too. Because there was no way this was _real._

Despite herself, her eyes wandered to Uchiha Shisui. If she concentrated she could sense the genjutsu he had cast over his hair. The memory of what it really looked like was still fresh and bright in her mind. Anyone else might have dismissed the sight as a figment of their imagination, but Anko was ANBU, and she knew when to trust her eyes.

Shisui, who was a fourteen year old genius if her sources were right and had joined ANBU just a few months ago, caught her looking and grimaced so childishly you'd almost forget he was steadily building a reputation of one of the fastest and most dangerous ANBU Konoha had to offer. "Don't. Just… don't ask."

Against her better judgment she asked anyway. "What the hell happened to you?"

Honestly, she wanted to know. It wasn't every day an Uchiha sported a hairdo that just _had_ to be prank-related. She hadn't even known Uchiha _did_ pranks. She'd always thought they didn't have the emotional capacity for any form of humour.

The Uchiha scowled and jabbed an accusing finger at Kaien, whose answering grin was suspiciously wide. "He and Harry happened."

Kaien snickered. "Aww, don't grumble cousin-dear. You had it coming."

Anko couldn't quit staring. She felt as if the universe had done a one-hundred-and-eighty without informing her, because this was not how the world worked. Uchiha didn't act this way. Never. _Especially_ not in front of non-Uchiha.

Yet here she was, watching Uchiha banter and laugh. About something she was absolutely sure was a true and honest _practical joke_.

How did this happen? She didn't even know that it was _possible_ to have Uchiha who deviated from the mould this much. Though maybe it wasn't so much being 'unable'to act differently and rather being 'not allowed' she realized as she watched them and any Uchiha they encountered on their way. She knew that within prominent Clans there was a lot of pressure from relatives to behave according to what was deemed appropriate by their elders, but she hadn't quite realized how big that pressure was. Kaien and Shisui received glares from random passing Uchiha for what was just a quiet, playful argument that sounded as something that was a regular occurrence for them. She had seen a hundred times worse just walking on the street. Surely the Uchiha's famous attitudes weren't just an act?

Then again, variation was part of the human nature, and most of the Uchiha usually behaved too alike to be entirely natural. But still. This much variation she had not expected.

Though now she thought about it… hadn't she worked with Uchiha Kaien before? She vaguely recalled from a mission involving a shipload of lethal animals, some disturbing kidnappings, and a missing-nin of the mad-scientist variety.

She also vaguely recalled he had just happened to be one of the very few Uchiha she'd been able to stand, staying brisk and professional even when one of the rookies had been an idiot. He'd given orders with only the barest hint of arrogance, which seemed more habit than genuine anyway.

And last time she'd seen him she'd wanted to maim him.

Heh. Oops?

She did the mental equivalent of a shrug. It was not as if he would ever find out.

The biggest problem with the Uchiha was, Anko mused while watching Kaien and Shisui quietly bicker, that unlike the Hyuuga, many of them had hellish tempers, were unafraid to unleash those if they felt someone wasn't taking them seriously enough, and had enough training in restraining themselves that the aggressiveness was turned into something less direct. Unfortunately, most of the time this lead to undue arrogance, harsh words, and the kind of disdain that would make even the kindest person's hackles rise. Not what anyone would call helpful when one was trying to mediate between two disagreeing parties. Which the Military Police Force had to do on a regular basis.

She remembered she'd wondered about their behaviour once. How anyone could live like that. Shouldn't they clash a lot with each other as well? She'd dismissed it then as something not worth wasting time over. She should have known that not every Uchiha was like that. At least, not at _home._

Weird, to think she was within the Uchiha's home. But that was what the compound was, in a way. Uchiha only. She hadn't even realized how big a difference such a thing might be.

 _Stupid._ _Everyone acts different at home. Even if it's just a little._

Funny, how the Hyuuga were so stiff and formal but somehow still closer to their true personalities in public than these Uchiha. She'd have thought that to be the other way around, but she'd visited a Hyuuga colleague from the T&I Department at the Hyuuga compound, and they had all been the same snooty stick-in-the-muds she was familiar with as far as she'd been able to tell.

Or maybe that was just a case of Hyuuga adhering more to Clan rules than these particular Uchiha.

The three Uchiha really were surprising her. Well, Kaien and Shisui were. So far, Uchiha Haruka behaved no different than what his public image in the village indicated. He was a living example of the Uchiha stereotype. Specifically, that of the Aloof and Superior Uchiha. As opposed to the Loud and Arrogant Uchiha, which Anko found a lot more annoying than the Aloof one. At least the Aloof one had class.

And yet… instead of reprimanding his younger clansmen to re-establish the image of Uchiha superiority, Haruka seemed more amused than anything. As if he didn't _care_ that his brother and cousin were behaving like children in front of a non-Uchiha.

Following the three Uchiha through the compound, Anko couldn't help but feel her curiosity rise. What else did she not know about her fellow shinobi?

It was only because she was extra alert that she noticed. She looked around, and blinked. She'd be first to admit that she had never entered the Uchiha Clan's territory before, but she was ANBU. She knew the layout just in case she would ever have to navigate the place in a tearing hurry. But was it just her or was the path they took purposefully disorienting?

When she asked about it Kaien grinned with an amount of glee that made her wary. "Neat huh? No better way to teach people how to deal with localized illusions!"

Anko narrowed her eyes and studied her surroundings. Some of the buildings seemed a little off, as if they were both near and far away. She had the suspicion that several did not look the size they really were. The illusions were all very subtle, almost unnoticeable, but if you knew they were there the sheer quantity was slightly concerning. And hidden among these more obvious illusions were even subtler ones that changed the names of streets, that concealed small items among the shop displays, and one mean one that hid the place where she knew there should be an alley so narrow you almost had to walk sideways through it. They weren't high level but their use was clever.

"Can't you just dispel them?"

"Why would we?" Haruka asked blankly. "There are many situations imaginable in which it is better to leave an illusion intact."

"Plus, we rather leave the dispelling to the kids. It's good for them," Shisui added, waving a hand at one particular illusion whose sole purpose Anko could identify was to make an edge of a roof appear about a foot higher than it actually was. "This is all pretty tame, obvious stuff, so it's not as if there is any danger to them. Not really, at least. The trickier ones we save until they have the reflexes to handle minor ambushes and such."

Anko nodded grudgingly. Couldn't fault that reasoning. And given that illusions were one of the Uchiha Clan's lesser known specialties it made sense that they would expose their children to them from a very young age to get them accustomed to having their senses messed with. Annoying for her right now, but at least a reasonable annoyance.

The Uchiha Kissaten turned out to be a peaceful traditional establishment. To her delight, they also served dango. Sitting down at the table the three Uchiha had obviously reserved in advance, she happily ordered a couple of sticks of the sticky treat.

"Right. Talk, Uchiha," she ordered, making herself comfortable.

"As we discussed the previous day, we are interested in acquiring one of your jutsu for one of our relatives," Haruka said, a professional air settling around him.

Anko sat up a little straighter. So it was straight to business then. Good. She didn't really feel like slogging through the obligatory small talk most old Clans preferred. "You mentioned that, yes."

 _What kind of jutsu do they_ want _that they can't just find or copy from someone somewhere else?_ she wondered, not for the first time. She didn't have _that_ many rare jutsu, and none she could imagine the Uchiha did not have a suitable substitute for among their own. They stole jutsu by the dozen if they had the chance.

Haruka waited a moment when a waiter came to deliver their tea and dango. Huh. Speedy service here, Anko thought to herself as the waiter politely poured their tea before leaving again. Anko ignored the tea and went straight for the snacks, popping one of the sticks in her mouth. She chewed appreciatively. Man, this was good stuff. Maybe she should come here more often.

Haruka sipped his tea before continuing. "The jutsu we are talking about is your summoning technique. We would be much obliged if you would teach it to our younger cousin, Uchiha Harry."

Anko narrowed her eyes, rolling the empty stick around in her mouth. 'Uchiha Harry'? She was sure she knew that name from somewhere. "Isn't that your Clan Head's brat?"

"His second son and our cousin, yes," Kaien agreed.

Thought so. Each ANBU was expected to know all kids with a potential or a confirmed Kekkei Genkai by heart, just in case one of them ever had the bad luck to get kidnapped. And if she remembered Uchiha Harry correctly… "He's a little kid, isn't he?" she asked flatly.

"He turned six two days ago," Shisui confirmed.

Anko slammed her hand on the table. "Let me get this straight. You want me to let your brat sign the Snake Contract? You do know a Summoning Contract can only be signed if the Snakes agree he's right for it, yes? And you're telling me the brat is _six?_ Your Clan has summoners, you should know that if you're going to bring in a new summoner they should be _at least_ an Academy graduate, not barely-trained brats! They'll be pissed at me for even suggesting it!"

To her irritation, Kaien smiled. "That is where his Kekkei Genkai comes in. Believe me, they'll want to snag him before anyone they can't work with does."

Anko gave him the suspicious glare he deserved. "And what does that Kekkei Genkai entail?"

The Uchiha's smile morphed into a smirk. "I think it's better if you see for yourself."

She eyed the mischievous tilt of his mouth, the badly-hidden grin on Shisui's, and the subtle uplift of the corners of Haruka's lips. Chomped down on another stick of dango in irritation. "You're setting me up for something," she accused.

"Only a harmless surprise, Mitarashi-san, I promise," Kaien said solemnly, a hand on his heart.

A promise from an Uchiha. Bunch of stuck up bastards that they were, they still followed the old Clan ways. Which meant that once they made a promise without a set time limit – as incredibly rare as it was – they kept their word to the best of their ability until at least a full day had passed, unless you forced them to break it. So she should be safe. Anko frowned mentally, recalling that the other two Uchiha hadn't made any promises. But she was of the same village and had – murderous urges aside, which she'd kept to herself anyway – never done anything untoward to their Clan, so this shouldn't be the trap it looked like.

Anko had spent enough time with Ibiki to recognize a test when she saw it. She heaved a mental sigh.

Give some trust, get some back. If the kid really had a snake-related Kekkei Genkai the Uchiha were taking a big risk involving an outsider, especially a Clan-less one like her. One thing to learn an ordinary jutsu. Quite another to possess the Snake Summoning Contract in combination with a complimentary Kekkei Genkai. If that ever became common knowledge the brat might as well end up tarred with the same black brush as she herself had been. Might anyway if it became known that she, the former student of the traitor Sannin, was teaching him. It likely wouldn't even matter _what_ she was teaching him.

For the Uchiha to trust one who had been connected to that bastard less than two years ago and didn't have a Clan or even a sensei to back up her word on top of that…. That was huge.

She hadn't gotten that kind of trust since Orochimaru abandoned her and Konoha. No one had even come close to being willing to take this kind of risk when it wasn't necessary for a mission. She told herself that the novelty of the whole thing was the only reason why she was even considering it at all.

"It goes against every bit of common sense I have, but fine. I'll bite," she told the three. "Show me the big surprise then."

Despite her misgivings Anko knew she'd made the right choice when she picked up the edge of relief on their pleased countenances. "You'll owe me for that," she decided, before their little victory could get to their heads.

She scowled when their expressions became more amused. "We expected no less, Mitarashi-san."

In revenge she took all the remaining dango for herself. It was a pity that only Shisui seemed to be sad about that.

Fifteen minutes later she already regretted consenting to this. She had followed the three Uchiha around twists and turns, and the high number of low-level genjutsu prickled like bristly brushes against her instincts. It was making her irritable. Her mood was not improved by the fact that she was not enough at home in the Uchiha district to make a guess at what all the genjutsu were hiding from her.

"Where are we going?" she asked suspiciously as they circled around what she was sure was the Uchiha Clan Head's house. It was a good thing she had three Uchiha with her, otherwise she was certain she would get to gain some personal experience with the protocol of the Konoha Military Police Force for suspicious elements. Ibiki would never let her live it down if that happened.

The Uchiha could apparently guess at her thoughts just from her face. "Don't worry Mitarashi-san, Fugaku-oji-sama knows about this. He won't send the others after you," Shisui reassured her as he beckoned her to follow them up the roof of what she suspected was a shed or storage room.

She huffed in annoyance and jumped up across the wall to join them on the lower roof of the building.

Before she could ask where they were going next Kaien gestured at the garden she could now see below her. "Observe," he whispered with a small smirk.

Curious, she looked down. Messy black hair, about the right age – that had to be Uchiha Harry then. His eyes confirmed it. She vaguely remembered being surprised by them when she'd first seen a picture of him. Not sober black or grey like so many Uchiha, like coals ready to ignite at a moment's notice, nor the ruby red of their bloodline. Instead, Uchiha Harry's eyes were verdurous green like Konoha's forests during summer. It was an unusual enough colour for anyone, let alone an Uchiha.

Then she noticed the unobtrusive pattern of lighter and darker browns in his hands and a distinct triangular head sliding over his wrist.

She narrowed her eyes. "Isn't that... a hundred-pacer?" Anko asked incredulously, barely remembering to keep her voice down. The kid wasn't even holding its head! That was just asking to get bitten! Who in their right mind let a brat handle a venomous snake like that?

And here she had thought Uchiha were smart.

Haruka looked faintly amused by her reaction. His brother and cousin were less composed. They flat out grinned at her. "Yup," Kaien confirmed flippantly, as if his little cousin wasn't just one wrong move away from earning himself a serious visit to the hospital.

Anko gave them a look that hopefully conveyed her full opinion on that reaction. From the grin she got back she concluded she'd managed well enough, though not with the desired result. For a moment she considered simply turning her back on it all. Better not to get involved with madmen. Curiosity, however, was sometimes better than steel cables to keep someone from leaving, as she'd long ago learned.

She snorted dismissively. It didn't matter anyway. "So he's got a tame hundred-pacer. Good for him. Doesn't mean the serpents will allow him to sign the Contract."

When that didn't earn her a response, Anko cast another look their way and spotted a mischievous tilt of the younger two Uchiha's mouths. She glanced between the Uchiha brothers and their younger cousin with narrowed eyes. "… What? What am I missing?"

Kaien's smile broke through and even Haruka gave off the impression of being highly entertained. Shisui didn't even try to hide his grin.

Kaien raised a finger to his lips and winked. "Watch, and you'll see."

Frowning, Anko returned her attention to the youngest Uchiha. Noticed his lips moving, as if he was talking. Her frown deepened. She had long ago mastered the art of lip-reading but nothing he said she recognized. That was… pretty impressive, actually.

Anko strained her ears, trying to catch his words, and suddenly came to the startling realization she wasn't imagining things, and he was _hissing_.

She opened her mouth to ask the other Uchiha what the hell the kid was playing at, when the snake raised its head and hissed back.

Anko couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped.

For several long moments she couldn't do anything but stare at what seemed to be a conversation in a foreign language.

"… No way…," she whispered. "There's just _no way-_ You're telling me he can _talk with them?!"_

Kaien broke down into full blown laughter and Shisui only managed to last a second longer before he too broke. Their behaviour only pushed Anko's incredulousness to higher levels. Uchiha weren't known for public display of emotion, so to see them laugh so freely was... kinda disturbing, really. It visibly startled Harry, who immediately raised his head and searched for the source of the noise, noticing their presence for the first time. The two Uchiha clearly didn't give a damn.

"Oh, your reaction is even better than mine!" Kaien crowed, delighted with her shocked exclamation.

Haruka, on the other hand, merely showed a small upturn of his lips, for all that he too had to be laughing inside. The older Uchiha glanced at a dubiously frowning Harry and gave him a wave to signal that everything was okay. Harry gave them one last lingering look before clearly deciding he was better off not knowing and disappeared to another part of the garden.

"I assume you now understand the reason for our request."

Anko gaped like a fish, before exploding. "You… you bastards! No wonder you were being all mysterious! Where the hell did he learn that?"

"That's the thing," Kaien said cheerfully. "He didn't learn it."

For a moment the female ANBU stared at him. "Go away. You've _got_ to be kidding."

"I swear," Kaien laughed, pressing one hand over his heart, trying and failing to convey his sincerity. "He could do it even before he knew he could. Had been listening to a snake talking for a good half an hour without realizing it was a snake. None of us know how he got it, but it has to be some kind of Kekkei Genkai."

"Could he teach me?" Anko demanded.

Shisui shrugged. "We don't know, but I think so. Sasuke tried and managed to produce the right sounds, though Harry and the snake nearly busted their guts laughing at the accent and mispronunciations. That was a weird experience, by the way," he added, looking contemplative.

Anko nodded, ignoring his last comment. "That's all I need to know. If the kid teaches me the basics I'll convince my Summons to at least come and see him."

Haruka tilted his head. "You do realize that Harry-kun is a child? He has never taught before and won't be able to properly structure your lessons."

Anko waved her hand at him. "That's alright, I can use learning aids from other languages. He'll just have to translate."

Kaien crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of the next floor. "Unless you figure out a new phonetic script you won't be able to write things down. Are you okay with that?"

Anko grinned. "Yeah, I'll come up with something. Codes are one thing, but foreign languages are a lot more complex than any code you could create within a decent amount of time. Well, more complex unless you're really, really bored. Snake language? Even if I can't figure out a good system to write it down, that is airtight, _private_ communication between my Summons and me. No way I'm passing that one up. And if I do it right I can even base a simplified code on it to get Ibiki off my back when he finds out I've been spending my time elsewhere, so it's not as if anyone will figure out I was here if you guys won't talk either."

Haruka nodded. "We won't. We do not wish for Harry-kun's abilities to become public knowledge."

Anko's grin widened. "In that case, I think we have an accord." She tilted her head. "Well, that is, if you're willing to pay for some of the missions I'll be missing," she added cheekily. She held out a hand.

Haruka didn't hesitate to grasp her hand in a firm handshake, sealing their deal. "We do not mind. We are grateful for your cooperation, Mitarashi-san."

She grinned. "Don't thank me yet. Your little cousin is going to have to do at least part of the convincing if he wants the Contract. I can only get them so far without him putting in some effort as well."

Haruka managed to project his amusement without moving his face. "We will give him some negotiation exercises."

Anko thought about the kid she'd seen and the kind of temperaments Uchiha were famous for. She laughed.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

After they'd seen Mitarashi off, Haruka patted his little brother and cousin on their shoulders. "Well done drawing her in."

Shisui gave him a sardonically amused look. "I knew you had a reason for asking me to come. You never expected us to behave, did you?"

Haruka let a brow climb a fraction. "Of course not."

Shisui scowled at the implied insult. "Oi, I can do it if I want to. It's this moron's fault. If he and Harry didn't keep messing with my hair _and_ breaking my genjutsu there wouldn't have been a problem."

Kaien sniffed and swiped at the finger Shisui pointed at him. "Oh please, as if that's the only reason. You could have stopped our little fights anytime. Don't tell me you need Haruka-nii to scold you to remember that."

"I didn't! I just figured Haruka thought it might help when he didn't say anything!"

Kaien shrugged. "Well, of course he let us mess around. It was obvious that Mitarashi-san dislikes formalities when we talked to her yesterday. She must have been very tired. She didn't even try to hide those venomous looks she kept giving us." He tilted his head. "Then again, she seems the type who is just too straightforward to have the patience for them even if she's well rested."

Shisui looked thoughtful. "Nah, I don't think that's why. At least, not entirely. I heard some rumours about her. I think it's because formalities remind her of her old sensei. A lot of her behaviour changed after he became a missing-nin. She had to move teams because she was no longer suited for undercover and espionage missions. I heard she even changed her specialties."

"Huh." Kaien folded his arms with a frown. "I think I've seen her around when her sensei was still in the village, and yeah, she was devoted. But I can't remember her being _that_ devoted."

Shisui shrugged. "I know, but remember how the last Sannin became a Nukenin." He grimaced to himself, recalling some of the nastier rumours that had somehow circumvented ANBU's strict mission confidentiality to circulate among the upper ranks of the Village.

Kaien's eyes were keen and inquisitive. Shisui knew his cousin had only done one year of ANBU before deciding that being a Tokubetsu Jounin was more up his alley, so he was not as up to date on the subject of S-class missing nin as Shisui was. Kaien wouldn't have been present when older ANBU members had shared some inside information with the newbies after the whole mess had come to light. Shisui knew what he would ask before he uttered the question.

"You heard something incriminating?"

Shisui firmly shook his head. "No. Just caught a few hints that there might have been more problems than could be expected from her sensei being outed as a traitor."

Kaien opened his mouth to question him further, but Haruka interrupted with a sharp look to both of them. "It changes little. Harry's ability meant we would oversee their interactions anyway." He levelled a heavy look on his brother. "Do not ask too much. No matter what else she is, she is a comrade and deserves to be respected as that. As a rising talent in T&I she is subject to observation by the most observant shinobi in the Village. If she was a security risk she would not still be trusted as a member of ANBU."

Kaien nodded, looking miffed that his questioning was interrupted but accepting the rebuke.

Shisui side-eyed him but remained silent. It was not as if he would have given his cousin more info anyway. He was still ANBU, and Kaien was not. Loyalty to the Village meant loyalty to your comrades, and from what he'd seen and heard, Mitarashi already had enough suspicion heaped on her. Haruka was right on the money with his assessment.

Until Mitarashi did something to revoke her current position, she deserved the same trust any of their comrades was entitled to.

"Now negotiations have finished you can take the rest of the day off, Kaien. Shisui, I do not know what other obligations you have today, but I assume you will be dining at Fugaku-sama's house?"

At Shisui's nod, Haruka continued. "Then please inform Fugaku-sama of our success and tell Harry I will pick him up at eight tomorrow. He has a lot of studying to do."

Shisui nodded. "Sure. You're going to the library tomorrow?"

"Indeed," Haruka confirmed, raising his eyebrow a fraction.

"I'll come with you. I don't have a mission scheduled and want to look something up anyway," Shisui said. And he wanted to see Harry's face when he got his new exercises, but Haruka didn't need to know that. Call him petty, but he didn't want to pass up easy entertainment when he didn't have to.

"Very well. I'll see you tomorrow then," Haruka agreed. Paused for a moment. "Though I would prefer if you would get that atrocious mess of your hair fixed. Kaien has been teaching Harry how to dispel illusions."

Kaien grinned and twiddled his fingers in a mocking wave as Shisui shot him a betrayed look.

"Will do," Shisui ground out, glaring at his idiotic cousin.

"Until tomorrow then. Have a pleasant day." Haruka turned away, face blank as always but with a barely-there upward curve to the corners of his lips. Snickering, Kaien hurried after him before Shisui could decide to teach him a lesson.

Shisui sighed and resisted the urge to strangle Kaien. They were in the middle of the street and still in range of the gate. It wouldn't do to cause too big a scene here.

Something niggled at the back of his head. Lost in thought, he watched his older cousins walk away. Kaien seemed particularly cheerful, bumping his fist against his brother's shoulder, who, of course, couldn't be bothered to give a proper fist-bump back. Though from his stance Haruka did seem unusually pleased. Pleased, and very much _amused._

Realization struck him. Those bloody – forget not causing a scene! "You _bastards_!" he yelled, running after them. " _You_ are the ones who convinced Mikoto-obaa-sama to keep me from letting Harry fix my hair!"

His two cousins didn't bother to share a look and broke out into a sprint, betraying their guilt. With a growl, Shisui shunshined after them, hand already diving into the kunai pouch at his hip. "Oi! _Get back here_!"

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

It was a rather miffed Shisui that shared the Clan Head's table that night. Not in the least because his asshole-cousins had been invited as well when they came barrelling past Aunt Mikoto an hour or something into their chase. His cousin's teamwork had been good enough that even after a several hours, he had not been able to exact all the vengeance he wanted.

 _I hate you,_ he signed subtly but emotively across the table from where Aunt Mikoto and Uncle Fugaku couldn't see.

 _Love you too,_ Kaien replied with a grin, uncaring about the bloody scratch on his face and the remnants of blue dye stuck in his hair. Shisui tried to kick him under the table but missed, and had to catch a dish before it would rattle too loudly. Kaien silently laughed at him.

Harry and Sasuke watched them suspiciously. Itachi seemed amused by their antics, in a slightly exasperated way. Haruka looked unperturbed, but if you looked closely you could see the crinkles of a hidden smile at his eyes.

"So how did it go?" Aunt Mikoto asked conversationally. Shisui was pretty sure she noticed the silent fighting but didn't feel like commenting on it.

"Quite well," Haruka said. "Mitarashi Anko has agreed to let Harry make an attempt to gain a contract with the Snakes. She has warned us that convincing them to let him sign might not be easy."

Uncle Fugaku nodded. "We expected that. The price?"

"A similar attempt and compensation for her time. She wishes to learn the language Harry speaks."

"Me? But I don't know how to teach someone," Harry said, eyes wide and worried.

Kaien ruffled his hair. "Don't worry squirt, we told her that. She said she'd get some learning guides for other languages, so you'll just have to translate a lot of stuff. You can do that, can't you?"

Harry furrowed his brow but nodded determinedly.

"Good. Then everything will work out just fine."

"Yeah, no thanks to you. I still don't get why you helped them with their stupid prank, Oba-san," Shisui muttered sullenly to Mikoto.

She smiled at him, as if she was completely innocent. Shisui didn't trust it for a minute. "Haruka-kun believed it might help. We reviewed what we knew of Mitarashi-san and agreed it had merit. It is no secret that she might refuse us out of pettiness if we did not find a way to snare her interest. She is not really subtle about her dislikes."

Shisui raised a brow. "'We'?"

Uncle Fugaku, he noticed, was pointedly staying out of the conversation.

"Well, of course we couldn't consider an approach that might harm the Clan's dignity without consulting our Clan Head and one or two elders, now could we?" Aunt Mikoto said as she placed the last dish on the table.

"Wait, does that mean we had _permission_ to act the way we did?" Shisui asked excitedly.

Haruka nodded. Kaien's grin was positively wicked.

"And we continue to have it for the duration of this 'mission'?" Shisui pressed.

Another nod.

"Awesome!"

Harry, he noticed, was looking increasingly wary. Heh. Cute, the brat was developing some instincts.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

When Harry was presented with the load of books he had to read in the upcoming days, his face crumpled in dismay. Shisui tried not to laugh, but it was difficult. It was clear that only the promise of getting a shot at gaining a Summoning Contract kept Harry from setting the books on fire.

Which he was getting better at. Not so good that he got consistent results, but good enough to make something catch fire every time. Now all he needed was gain control over the volume of the blaze. Shisui was both proud and a tiny bit worried for his own collection of books and scrolls.

Even so, Haruka still shot Harry a sharp warning look. Harry's shoulders slumped a bit further. Such a little pyromaniac.

Harry was also getting good at reading faces. The glare he send Shisui's way spoke volumes of how little he'd been fooled by Shisui's attempt to keep the smile from his face.

Ungrateful brat. After all Shisui had suffered the last few days for his sake, it would serve Harry right if the snakes bit him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it is not a very interesting chapter, but I really just wanted to post something for this again (and to put some people's belief that this is abandoned to rest; Ground Fire is not dead, I'm merely having trouble writing it). Hopefully this will get me back into the swing of things.
> 
> Notes on Orochimaru and the timeline: I have never been entirely clear on when Orochimaru exactly left the village, so I took Anko's age as an indicator. In part 1 of the Naruto series Anko is 24, according to the Wiki. So at this point in time she would be about 16 to 17. Graduation age is about 13. Now, when we see her as Orochimaru's student she seems about the normal age for a Genin. She has to have spent at least a year as his student to learn all the things she supposedly is capable of in canon and to take a shot at the Chuunin exams, so I'm putting Orochimaru's defection a bit less than two years ago, when Anko was somewhere between fourteen and fifteen.
> 
> Kai: full name of the technique being genjutsu kai, meaning 'genjutsu dissipation'. Used to counter/cancel illusions.
> 
> Hundred-pacer: this is the lovely nickname for snakes of the genus _Deinagkistrodon_ (specifically _Deinagkistrodon acutus_ ), also known as the sharp-nosed pit viper, and is bestowed on them by locals in reference to the legend that, once bitten, a person can walk only a hundred more steps before succumbing to the bite. Their venom is hemotoxic and can be fatal.
> 
> Nukenin: missing nin.
> 
> Thank you for your patience and till next time!


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